Most patients unaware of how race is used to make risk assessments, guide clinical care

Algorithms that incorporate race as a modifying factor to guide clinical decision-making have recently been criticized for propagating racial bias in medicine. The calculation of lung or kidney function are examples of equations that have different diagnostic parameters depending on an individual's race. While these clinical measures have multiple implications for care, patients' awareness of and their perspectives on the application of such algorithms is unknown.
Algorithms that incorporate race as a modifying factor to guide clinical decision-making have recently been criticized for propagating racial bias in medicine. The calculation of lung or kidney function are examples of equations that have different diagnostic parameters depending on an individual’s race. While these clinical measures have multiple implications for care, patients’ awareness of and their perspectives on the application of such algorithms is unknown.