Experts call for action on medical devices prone to biases

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The University of Liverpool’s Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead, chairwoman of the review, said: “The advance of AI in medical devices could bring great benefits, but it could also bring harm through inherent bias against certain groups in the population, notably women, people from ethnic minorities and disadvantaged socio-economic groups. Now is the time to seize the opportunity to incorporate action on equity in medical devices into the overarching global strategies on AI safety Professor Chris Holmes, panel member “Our review reveals how existing biases and injustices in society can unwittingly be incorporated at every stage of the lifecycle of AI-enabled medical devices, and then magnified in algorithm development and machine learning. “We found no evidence of actual harm in the NHS, but only the potential for racial and ethnic bias in the performance of some medical devices commonly used in the NHS.” Panel member Professor Chris Holmes warned that the Government needs to understand how AI, including programmes such as ChatGPT, will disrupt clinical and public health practices. “I hope this review and its important recommendations will help deliver much-needed change.” I welcome the report’s findings and the NHS will work alongside Government and the MHRA to implement them and ensure NHS staff have the resources and training they need to tackle racial bias Professor Bola Owolabi, NHS England In response to the report, health minister Andrew Stephenson, said: “I am hugely grateful to Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead for carrying out this important review.