pharmaphorum March 12, 2024
Healthcare systems need to address the impact of racial and ethnic biases in the design and use of medical devices, says a new independent review conducted in the UK.
The review (PDF) was set up by the government to explore a suspicion that pulse oximeters, which estimate the level of oxygen in the blood and are widely used in the NHS, may be less accurate for patients with darker skin tones and could delay a referral for more intensive care.
It found “extensive evidence” that pulse oximeters tend to over-estimate oxygen levels in people with darker skin, a concern that first came to the fore during the COVID-19 crisis and may have contributed to worse outcomes for Black patients than...
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