Chief Medical Officer | Medico-Strategic Lead | Transformative Technologist | Board member / NED | Advisor | Mentor
Commonly used finger-clip pulse oximeters – that use light to measure the colour of blood to give an oxygen saturation reading – can take inaccurate oxygen readings particularly in people with dark skin tones and could therefore perpetuate racial bias and inequity in healthcare. People with black skin tones are 3x more likely to have undiagnosed hypoxia using some of these devices. That where Airquity comes in. We believe this to be the world’s first racially inclusive core oximeter that takes readings from the inner ear canal. This location is unpigmented, where everyone’s skin is the same colour. Being a core site, the readings can also be less affected by external temperature, movement, and poor circulation. We really are all the same on the inside. EarSwitch’s device is packed with a suite of in-ear biometric sensor hardware and technology that aims to record real-world, medical-grade health data, including oxygen saturation, heart rate and heart rate variability, respiration rate and pattern, temperature, falls and gait detection, blood pressure indicators (e.g. pulse transit time/pulse wave analysis) and heart function measures (e.g. Pre-Ejection Period). Getting shortlisted twice is an incredible achievement and testament to this brilliant innovative solution. #healthtech #innovation #canneslions #healthequality #racialbias #impactthatmatters #creativity #techforgood Nick Gompertz Havas Lynx Claire Knapp Alex Okada Christopher Wellard Shilpa Thomas Garry Pratt Sri Harsha M. Elizabeth Egan Brian Robinson Eric Weisberg Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Tony Young Richard Berry Annabelle Marshall Havas Creative Network David Browning
We’re thrilled to announce that Airquity has been shortlisted twice in the Innovation Lions for product innovation at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! Airquity, an innovative solution that challenges the race biased medical device problem. Traditional pulse oximeters have been shown to produce inaccurate readings on darker skin, in some instances those discrepancies can range from 8 to 11% - that’s the difference between being sent home and rushed to hospital and put on air support! Through a combination of tech, medical insight, collaboration and passion a powerful idea surfaced because inside we're all the same. In partnership with EarSwitch, the device sits in the ear canal where everyone's skin pigmentation is the same. And as a result, can produce more efficient readings of levels of oxygen, pressure, and heart rate. Nick Gompertz Garry Pratt Vernon Bainton Alex Okada Christopher Wellard #CannesLions #Innovation #Airquity #Creativity #Healthcare
Congratulations on this powerful and important work!
Content Strategy Director
4moVernon Bainton as always, you are blazing the way! Hope you are well!