AI tools used by English councils downplay women’s health issues, study finds
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Artificial intelligence tools used by more than half of England’s councils are downplaying women’s physical and mental health issues and risk creating gender bias in care decisions, research has found.
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The study found that when using Google’s AI tool “Gemma” to generate and summarise the same case notes, language such as “disabled”, “unable” and “complex” appeared significantly more often in descriptions of men than women.
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The study, by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), also found that similar care needs in women were more likely to be omitted or described in less serious terms.
New cancer referral guidelines to speed up diagnosis
- People in Scotland with symptoms that may indicate cancer will now be referred for tests more quickly, thanks to the publication of updated Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer.
- For the first time, the guidelines include referral criteria for non-specific but concerning symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, nausea, or weight loss. This change is designed to help clinicians identify and refer patients earlier, even when symptoms do not clearly point to a single type of cancer.
- Developed by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery in partnership with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Cancer Research UK, the revised SRGs provide evidence-based guidance for primary care professionals across Scotland. The aim is to ensure consistent, timely referrals for specialist assessment and improve early diagnosis rates.
A walk-in fishermen’s clinic saved Tom from sepsis – and could transform the NHS
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On a clear summer morning a spare room in the trawler agent’s offices in Brixham harbour is quickly being converted into a temporary health clinic.
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Blue screens are dragged across to split up the space: a makeshift reception at the front and then just enough room to cram in two GPs, a pharmacist, a physiotherapist, two nurses and someone organising prostate cancer tests.
Scientists find link between genes and ME/chronic fatigue syndrome
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Scientists have found the first robust evidence that people’s genes affect their chances of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a mysterious and debilitating illness that has been neglected and dismissed for decades by many in the medical community.
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Early findings from the world’s largest study into the genetics of the condition pinpointed eight regions of the human genome that were substantially different in people with an ME/CFS diagnosis compared to those without the illness.
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The discovery suggests that several variants of genes commonly found in the population raise the risk of developing the illness, though many people will carry the variants and never acquire it.
