There is no consensus or standardized approach for characterizing skin pigmentation, and commonly used methods to measure pigmentation have limitations. Consequently, some research studies may not fully represent the full spectrum of skin tones.
Pulse oximeters, for example, do not work as effectively in people with darker skin. This bias has been linked to potential health disparities. The FDA and the International Organization for Standardization are actively working to update pulse oximeter regulatory frameworks.
According to a recent paper published in the British Journal of Dermatology, guidance is needed to characterize skin pigment accurately and equitably to ensure diversity in research cohorts. To this end, investigators compared multiple methods – both objective and subjective – of assessing pigmentation in a diverse study cohort. Their study included 789 participants and 33,856 skin assessments.
First author Michael Lipnick, MD, is an anesthesiologist and health equity researcher at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The authors were not available for an interview, but we have distilled and organized excerpts from the paper into a Q&A format to make it useful for readers.
