AI robot, specialised for traditional Chinese medicine, shown in Beijing,
2020. In the UK, the government hopes new AI technology will lead to better
healthcare training. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence is to be used to
tackle racial inequalities in the NHS under government plans to “level up”
healthcare.
It is hoped that millions of black, Asian
and minority ethnic Britons will benefit from revolutionary computer techniques
designed to transform care and speed up diagnoses of potentially deadly conditions.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has
given the green light to a series of hi-tech initiatives aimed at tackling
health disparities in the UK. It comes amid mounting concern over the issue
among senior ministers.
New projects include drawing up fresh
standards for health data inclusivity amid fears that the datasets at the
moment fail to adequately represent people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Another project will use computer
algorithms to investigate factors behind adverse maternity incidents involving
BAME mothers. The results could lead to recommended changes, which could
include new training for midwives and nurses. Black women are five times more
likely to die in the UK due to complications during pregnancy compared with
white women.
Javid said he was committed to “removing
barriers” in the NHS so that “every one of us, no matter our background, can
live healthier, longer lives”.
Experts have warned for years that some
people from BAME communities have poorer health than the overall population.
More recently, the pandemic took a disproportionate toll on these groups.
Evidence also suggests that structural
racism can lead to BAME patients suffering poorer health outcomes. Reports have
found “deep differences” in the prevalence and outcome of some health
conditions between and within ethnic groups in the UK.
Javid said: “As the first health and social
care secretary from an ethnic minority background, I care deeply about tackling
the disparities which exist within the healthcare system. As we recover from
the pandemic we have an opportunity for change, to level up, and ensure our NHS
is meeting the needs of everyone.
“Technology,
particularly AI, can be an incredible force for good. It can save valuable
clinician time and help provide faster, more accurate diagnosis, so patients
can access the care they need as quickly as possible. It can also help us
better understand racial differences so we can train our workforce to look for
different symptoms or complicating factors, diagnose faster, and tailor
treatments.”
Javid expressed personal dismay at the
racial inequalities in healthcare. “It is unacceptable that black women in
England are five times more likely to die from complications during childbirth
than their white counterparts. AI could help us to better understand why this
is the case and ensure black mothers have an equal chance for a healthy life
with their newborn.”
The drive to tackle racial inequalities
using AI will be led by NHSX. Its AI Ethics Initiative aims to support research
and practical interventions using AI-driven technologies in health and care,
with a focus on countering health inequalities.
Another project being funded involves an
AI-powered chatbot to raise the uptake of screening for STIs/HIV among minority
ethnic communities.
A fourth involves improved computer
screening to detect diabetic retinopathy. Recent analysis suggests performance
varies significantly between different ethnic groups because people from ethnic
minority groups have higher levels of retinal pigmentation which can influence
image quality.
Javid said one of the most important new AI
initiatives would be updating UK health data to more accurately reflect the
population.
“If we only train our
AI using mostly data from white patients it cannot help our population as a
whole. We need to make sure the data we collect is representative of our
nation. This new funding will support the development of a much-needed set of
standards to make sure datasets for training and testing AI systems are diverse
and inclusive so no one is disadvantaged because of their race,” he said.
Josh Keith, a senior fellow at the Health
Foundation, a thinktank involved in the initiatives, said: “Data-driven
technology is having a profound impact on our health and health care system,
but we need to focus on making sure the impacts are positive so that everyone’s
health and care benefits.
“We hope the projects
being supported through this partnership can make an important contribution to
this – helping to ensure the advancement of AI-driven technologies improves
health outcomes for minority ethnic populations in the UK.”
Brhmie Balaram, head of AI research and
ethics at NHSX, said: “Artificial intelligence has the potential to
revolutionise care for patients, and we are committed to ensuring that this
potential is realised for all patients by accounting for the health needs of
diverse communities.”
