Skin-like test models could help improve medical devices for people of all skin tones
Many medical devices and wearable health sensors work by shining light into the skin and measuring the signal that returns. These technologies are used in products ranging from pulse oximeters to fitness trackers. However, studies have shown that some optical devices can be less accurate for people with darker skin, raising concerns about health care equity and patient safety. In a recent study…
A recent study published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics has developed realistic skin-like test models to improve the accuracy of medical devices and wearable health sensors for people of all skin tones. These optical phantoms, which mimic the outer skin layer, deeper tissue, and underlying fat, include artificial blood vessels with flowing blood-like fluid to simulate blood flow beneath the skin.
Researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland found that the darker the skin model, the more difficult it became to detect blood-related signals through the skin layers. This mirrors a real-world challenge for optical medical devices, as increased pigmentation can make it harder for light to penetrate blood vessels, potentially affecting measurement accuracy.
By providing a realistic testing platform, these new phantoms could help device developers identify and reduce such biases during product design and validation, ultimately promoting health care equity and patient safety.
Brief written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
