All articles tagged with #healthcare bias
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed an AI tool that identifies long COVID symptoms in electronic medical records, estimating a 23% prevalence rate, significantly higher than current estimates. The tool, which analyzes data from nearly 300,000 patients, aims to provide a more accurate and less biased diagnosis of long COVID, potentially improving personalized care and reducing biases in healthcare access.
Women and minorities, particularly Black women like Charity Watkins, are disproportionately affected by medical misdiagnosis, with nearly 1 in 4 hospital patients who died or were transferred to intensive care having experienced a diagnostic error. Racial and gender disparities are widespread, with women and minority patients suffering from heart attacks, depression, and other conditions being more likely to be misdiagnosed. The covid-19 pandemic has also highlighted the issue, with pulse oximeters being less accurate for people with dark skin. Efforts to address these disparities include raising awareness, advocating for better care, and sharing personal stories to help improve medical practices.
Many individuals initially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes may actually have a different form of the disease called latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA), leading to mismanagement and denial of proper treatment. Patients, particularly Black women, have reported being denied necessary medicines, technology, and tests due to misconceptions about race, weight, and age. The slow progression of LADA and the lack of routine antibody testing contribute to misdiagnosis, highlighting the need for improved healthcare practices and awareness of atypical forms of diabetes.