A Survey of Bias in Healthcare: Pitfalls of Using Biased Datasets and Applications

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely used in medical applications to support outcome prediction and treatment optimisation based on collected patient data. With the increasing use of AI in medical applications, there is a need to identify and address potential sources of bias that may lead to unfair decisions. There have been many reported cases of bias in healthcare professionals, medical equipment, medical datasets, and actively used medical applications. These cases have severely impacted the quality of patients’ healthcare, and despite awareness campaigns, bias has persisted or in certain cases even exacerbated. In this paper, we survey reported cases of different forms of bias in medical practice, medical technology, medical datasets, and medical applications, and analyse the impact these reports have in the access and quality of care provided for certain patient groups. In the end, we discuss possible pitfalls of using biased datasets and applications, and thus, provide the reasoning behind the need for robust and equitable medical technologies.