This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
The Unfair Oximeter?
The pulse oximeter is a cheap device, designed to estimate the amount of oxygen in a person's blood. Studies by NHS England and The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, however, have shown that the oximeter can overestimate blood oxygenation, when used by someone with a dark skin tone (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/21/from-oximeters-to-ai-where-bias-in-medical-devices-may-lurk). The pulse oximeter seems to have been devised, with caucasians in mind. A problem arises because the oximeter reading is often used as a 'trigger' to determine which patients need urgent admittance to hospital care in Intensive Care Units. It has even been suggested that 'biased' readings might contribute to the relatively elevated death-rates in people from minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK. Other estimations of blood oxygen concentration could be used but these would involve blood sampling and laboratory tests. The results would emerge more slowly. I wonder if it would be possible to calibrate oximeters for a variety of skin tones?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Birder's Bonus 241
Noted a Curlew ( Numenius arquata ) on the Loughor estuary at Bynea.
-
Greater spearwort ( Ranunculus lingua ) has been used in traditional medicine to treat rheumatism, skin conditions and digestive problems.
-
Green buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tartaricum ) is also called 'Tartar buckwheat'. It's a domesticated food plant, producing kernels. ...
-
Daily shots of my fully compostable Oyster mushroom pot, received for Christmas. Omelettes ahoy!
2 comments:
All the studies I've seen published so far don't translate very well to home use of oximeters as either:
- they use a mix of finger pulse oximeter [like you might use at home] and stick-on oximeters used in hospitals
- they look at blood oxygen ranges below what you'd expect to see at home [50-80%] and show the error drops below 3% as you get nearer to 90%
https://www.digitalhealthcoachuk.net/post/are-oximeters-safe-for-bipoc-bame-black-people-to-use-for-covid-yes-if-a-doctor-knows-your-colour
Helpful comment!
Post a Comment