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  • Health Equity in Pulse Oximetry

    • Engineering a more equitable future for patients

    Medtronic believes healthcare technology shouldn’t discriminate. We’re leading with purpose, expanding access to healthcare, and making an impact toward achieving health equity.

    Oxygen saturation is now considered the fifth vital sign across all areas of care. Our Nellcor™ pulse oximeters lead the way in equitable patient monitoring and offer greater SpO2 accuracy than Masimo for patients with dark skin tones.†,1 We are taking the impact further by advancing the technology, building lasting partnerships and investing in education to reduce the discrepancies in pulse oximetry. Our goal is clear — to enable the best care for every patient. We’re on it.

    Accuracy based on study, not funded by Medtronic, that enrolled 146 healthy subjects in the 92–96% saturation range and examined paired readings from Nellcor™ N-595 and Masimo Radical 7™* pulse oximeters generated simultaneously. This study was not designed for head-to-head comparison of the respective devices.

    Circles showing the Monk Skin Tone Scale range of skin tone colors

    In pulse oximeter clinical studies, Medtronic incorporates the Monk Skin Tone (MST) Scale — a more inclusive 10-pigmentation scale.

    Technology

    We’re always innovating because technology has the power to eliminate barriers to equitable care.

    Explore how we are engineering for greater tech equity.

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    Partnerships

    We’re partnering with professional and regulatory groups because health equity cannot be achieved alone.

    Find out how we’re working with industry partners to accelerate progress.

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    Education

    We’re investing in education to empower healthcare providers to deliver the safest care for all patients.

    Learn about resources, articles, educational content and more.

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    Our commitment to unbiased technology is driving a new generation of development.

    Listen to what led us to open a clinical physiology lab that recruits diverse participants that represent patients across all skin tones.

    Watch video (open in new window)

    See independent evaluation at Open Oximetry, where each Nellcor™ system passed preliminary validation for patients of all skin tones.‡ The Open Oximetry project was created to improve the safety and precision of pulse oximeters in all populations.

    Performs in accordance with 2013 FDA premarket notification submissions guidance and ISO 80601-2-61 (2017). Performance data from healthy volunteers may not accurately represent performance in real world patient populations. The information displayed here shall not be construed as an endorsement by Open Oximetry.

    Partnering for patient equity

    At Medtronic, we understand that no issue in healthcare can be solved by a single group. We take our responsibility as a trusted industry leader to heart and seek out partners that are also driven to achieve equitable care for all. Together, we’re making collective progress in addressing technology bias in pulse oximetry.

    Partnering to raise the bar

    Advocating for better pulse oximetry standards

    We take pride in representing pulse oximeter manufacturers with our advocacy and policy work with organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Open Oximetry project, and the Advisory Committee of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

    In these partnerships, we evaluate and share data and findings to help evolve standards. Together, we’re increasing our understanding of the limitations and the possibilities of pulse oximetry.

    Partnering on shared missions

    Supporting collective health equity efforts

    We’re leveraging our long-standing relationships with healthcare professional associations to support health equity initiatives. In our partnership with the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), we’re increasing diversity in clinical trials. Our work with the American Nursing Association (ANA) includes a grant for a special report in the American Nurse Journal about pulse oximetry and skin pigmentation. We’ve also partnered with the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) to create patient safety resources and promote research through the Patient Safety and Healthcare Equity grant.

    Partnering to educate clinicians

    Sharing knowledge to reduce disparities in care

    From live events to meaningful webinars, Medtronic and our partner organizations share a commitment to advancing health equity through collaborative partnerships and shared learnings. We connect with professional associations like the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), and the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) to teach their members how to mitigate technology bias and make confident patient care decisions with pulse oximetry.

    Resources