From oximeters to AI, where bias in medical devices may lurk

The UK health secretary, Sajid Javid, has announced a review into systemic racism and gender bias in medical devices in response to concerns it could contribute to poorer outcomes for women and people of colour. Writing in the Sunday Times, Javid said: "It is easy to look at a machine and assume that everyone's getting the same experience. But technologies are created and developed by people, and so bias, however inadvertent, can be an issue here too." We take a look at some of the gadgets used in healthcare where concerns over racial bias have been raised. Oximeters estimate the amount of oxygen in a person's blood, and are a crucial tool in determining which Covid patients may need hospital care – not least because some can have dangerously low levels of oxygen without realising.