Key result
Publicly available pulse oximetry databases exhibit significant ethnic disparities, with White subjects constituting an average of 73.19% of the population compared to 9.29% for Black subjects.
Why the study?
Inaccuracies have been reported in pulse oximetry measurements taken from people who identified as Black.
Observational (n=145,904)
p-value: p=<0.0001
Publicly available pulse oximetry databases heavily underrepresent Black and Asian populations, which may introduce racial biases in algorithm development and device calibration.
May bias pulse oximeter validation across groups; leaves open equitable accuracy in clinical use.
Inaccuracies have been reported in pulse oximetry measurements taken from people who identified as Black. Here, we identify substantial ethnic disparities in the population numbers within 12 pulse oximetry databases, which may affect the testing of new oximetry devices and impact patient outcomes. Sinaki et al. highlight ethnic disparities in the populations of 12 publicly-available pulse oximetry databases. The authors outline the potential consequences of such disparities on pulse oximetry device and algorithm development.
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Sinaki et al. (2022) conducted an observational in Patients in publicly available pulse oximetry databases (n=145,904). Ethnicity (White vs. Black/Asian/Other) vs. White subjects was evaluated on Proportion of ethnic representation in databases (p=<0.0001). Publicly available pulse oximetry databases exhibit significant ethnic disparities, with White subjects constituting an average of 73.19% of the population compared to 9.29% for Black subjects.
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