🩺 Imagine... medical equipment accurate and reliable for everyone🩺
A Pacific where pulse oximeters, devices that measure blood oxygen levels, are designed and tested to account for the diversity of skin pigmentation, race, and ethnicity in our region and where healthcare providers and patients are aware of the potential biases and limitations of these devices.
🔗Link:
📚Source:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Performance Evaluation of Pulse Oximeters Taking into Consideration Skin Pigmentation, Race and Ethnicity.
💥 What’s the Big Deal:
Pulse oximeters are widely used in clinical settings and at home to monitor blood oxygen levels, which can indicate severe health conditions such as COVID-19, asthma, or heart failure. 🌈However, several studies have shown that pulse oximeters can be inaccurate and unreliable for people with darker skin pigmentation because they use light to detect blood flow. This can lead to delayed diagnosis, inappropriate treatment, or missed opportunities for intervention.💉 The FDA issued guidance to improve the performance evaluation of pulse oximeters, taking into consideration skin pigmentation, race, and ethnicity. 🙌This document provides recommendations for device manufacturers, researchers, and healthcare professionals on how to design, test, and use pulse oximeters to minimize bias and ensure safety and effectiveness for all patients.
#PulseOximeters, #MedicalEquipment, #HealthEquity, #Pacific, #FDA,#IMSPARK,
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