BiasMedium
Racial Bias in Lung Function Diagnostic Algorithm Leads to Underdiagnosis in Black Men
- Occurred
- Jun 1, 2023
- Published
- Jun 1, 2023
- Source
- AI Incident Database
Summary
A study published in JAMA Network Open reveals that racial bias built into a commonly used medical diagnostic algorithm for lung function may be leading to underdiagnoses of breathing problems in Black men. The study suggests that as many as 40% more Black male patients might have been accurately diagnosed if the software were not racially biased. The software algorithm adjusts diagnostic thresholds based on race, affecting medical treatments and interventions.
Developers
- Unknown
Deployers
- University of Pennsylvania Health System
Harmed parties
- Black men who underwent lung function tests between 2010 and 2020 and potentially received inaccurate or delayed diagnoses and medical interventions due to the biased algorithm
Tags
- medical diagnosis
- racial bias
- algorithmic bias
Classification
Category confidence: 95%
Severity confidence: 90%
Rationale: Study reveals racial bias in medical algorithm causing underdiagnosis in Black men.
Classifier: Qwen/Qwen3.5-35B-A3B-FP8