The Independent Review on Equity in Medical Devices has launched a call for evidence to gather insights from experts and organisations, as well as patients and the general public, on the potential racial and gender bias of medical devices.
The consultation seeks to understand whether medical devices and technologies are biased against patients of different ethnicities, genders and other socio-demographic groups, and what solutions could mitigate these biases. The consultation will be open for 8 weeks; closing at 11:45pm on 6th October.
For example, some devices may perform more poorly when used on darker skin pigmentation – something not considered during the development and testing phase of the product.
The Government seeks to hear from a wide variety of experts, including academics, researchers, engineers, healthcare professionals and industry representatives, who are encouraged to offer their evidence regarding potential disparities and the solutions to these issues. Members of the public, patients and carers can also contribute their views and insight.
Current UK regulations fail to provide provisions to ensure that medical devices work equally for people of different genders and ethnicities. The outcome of this review will attempt to rectify this problem and accelerate the process of improving the quality and availability of medical devices to diverse communities.
To see full details of the consultation, please click here.
Provide evidence for the Independent Review by clicking the link here.
