Sajid Javid Orders Review Of Medical Device Racial Bias

naomi24 | 11:20 Sun 21st Nov 2021 | News

75 Answers

//A review into whether medical devices are equally effective regardless of the patient's ethnicity has been ordered by Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Research suggests oximeters, which are clipped to a person's finger, can overstate the level of oxygen in the blood of people from ethnic minorities.

Ministers want to know whether bias could have prevented patients receiving appropriate Covid treatment.

Mr Javid said any bias was "totally unacceptable". //

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59363544

The word bias smacks of something quite deliberate which I'm certain isn't the case. Should Mr Javid et al choose their words more carefully? I think so.

Insulate Britain

Mr Speaker.

Answers

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Ken4155

Best Answer

Perhaps, instead of using the word 'bias' (which is open to misinterpretation), they ought to have said that oximeters are proving to be less effective on dark skin.

11:34 Sun 21st Nov 2021

Go To Best Answer

naomi24

Question Author

Everyone else, sp? You’re not paying attention.

1ozzy, the BA answers your question.

naomi24

Question Author

SP, just out of interest in criticising potentially upsetting language what agenda do you think I’m pursuing?

1ozzy

Thanks Naomi
I'd like to thank Ken for offering "less effective "

Even though "bias" works.

Guess it depends on the interpretation of the word.

Peter Pedant

Should have come out in Sudan - or DRC innit
the oximeters always read low? if they did....

anyway seems to have gone quiet - the news caravan has moved on.....

Peter Pedant

what s in a word - - it is whether they have led to duff decisions.....

sp1814

naomi24

No-one agrees with your statement:

"The word bias smacks of something quite deliberate" because everyone knows it not to be true.

Your agenda - to see complaints of bias as fallacious. In this case the Health Minister wants to establish whether there IS a bias.

Eminently sensible as everyone without an agenda can see.

Those who nitpick on semantics are missing the big picture, which is the health and wellbeing of people who might catch this dreadful disease.

sp1814

naomi24

//You’re not paying attention.//

To your threads?

Not so much.

bednobs

i have read conflicting reports
1) that o2 monitors read low on pigmented skin (also my experience)
2) that o2 monitors give a falsely high reading on pigmented skin meaning that people with darker pigments may have been refused treatment because their o2 sats were thought to be higher tha they were.
Can anyone clarify what SJ is saying?

naomi24

Question Author

SP, //Those who nitpick on semantics are missing the big picture,... //

Indeed they are.

//...which is the health and wellbeing of people who might catch this dreadful disease.//

And that, as I have made abundantly clear, is my main concern. What a pity it isn't yours.