• Bristlecone@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    If you know how these devices work this makes sense. I’m sure it’s a known problem, unfortunately the alternative would sure seem strange to medically illiterate folks, selling devices specifically for black people. The overestimation would also only be an issue if they are under 88 spo2 at any given time in actuality, and you would generally have symptoms, unless you have a chronic lung disease or a chronically hypoxic. This study applies only to these cheap handheld devices, sounds like

    • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      You could always create a device that scans the skin and adjusts the measurements accordingly.

      • Bristlecone@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Hospital devices already do this (kind of), like I said this really only applies to those shitty cheap ones you can get at Walgreens. If the oximeter has a power supply you can get the light bright enough to offset any skin tone. No one should be basing critical medical decisions on those cheap battery models, even if they didn’t have this inherent problem.

        • jaycifer@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Buying two (or more if other skin tones are affected) devices would be more expensive than buying one device that covers all skin tones?

          • AbidanYre@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            If I’m buying for a hospital, sure. If I’m buying one for home, I don’t need other skin tones to be covered.

            Depends on where they sell more units

            • heartSagan5@lemmy.zip
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              3 days ago

              So, you don’t care about any guests of other skin tones? I’d rather have an oximeter that moderates to the user.

              • AbidanYre@lemmy.world
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                3 days ago

                I can count on 0 fingers the number of times a guest of any color has needed to borrow one, and if a situation arises where they do, we’re probably better off calling 911 at that point.

                Maybe you would spend the couple extra bucks for that capability. How many other people do you think will?

                • acockworkorange@mander.xyz
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                  2 days ago

                  The point is that a machine that doesn’t compensate for melanin content will work for no one. How black are we talking about? Kamala Harris or Lupita Nyong’o? Who are you going to calibrate for?

                  • AbidanYre@lemmy.world
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                    2 days ago

                    No, the point is that they’re calibrated for the people who they were tested on/made by and that the vast majority of the population isn’t going to pay extra for a feature they are never going to need. It’s not like the $20 finger clip you got at CVS is a piece of lab equipment that’s being regularly recertified by an expert. As long as it says something over ~97% most people are happy and move on with their day.