From oximeters to AI, where bias in medical devices may lurk

Level 3: Advanced – Teacher’s notes

Article summary: The article describes the
way certain medical devices used in the UK
have a racial and gender bias because they
were originally designed for Caucasian men.
Note that the term cue has a similar meaning to
hint, as in ‘When they switched off the lights in the
restaurant, it was our cue to leave’. It is also the
signal for an actor to do or say something during
a performance.

Time: 60 minutes Key:

1. bias 6. prioritize
Skills: Reading, Speaking, Writing 2. inadvertent 7. pulse
3. gadget 8. cue
Language focus: Vocabulary 4. respirator 9. handful
5. exhale 10. acknowledge
Materials needed: One copy of the
worksheet per student
3. Comprehension check

a. The answers given are only suggestions and

1. Warmer students may correctly answer the questions in
different ways e.g., in #1, they may say ‘blood
a. The purpose of this activity is to introduce the topic oxygen levels’ or similar.
of healthcare and health equipment but primarily
to prepare students for a text which contains all Key:
of these abbreviations. The gaps can be filled by 1. the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood
adding words related to these topics, although #3 2. They can overestimate the amount of oxygen
and #5 have a more general application. Explain in the blood.
that a regulatory agency is one that establishes rules 3. people being less likely to be given oxygen
and regulations in a particular area of activity. PPE 4. particles that other people breathe out
in healthcare includes items such as masks, gloves 5. in female and Asian healthcare workers
and protective gowns. The NHS is the UK’s health 6. lung capacity
service, which is free at the point of use. 7. the order in which patients are treated
8. pulse rates
Key: 9. They are less accurate for people of colour.
1. health 10. that data is representative
2. medical
3. minority 4. Key language
4. protective
5. artificial a. Students could be asked to do this exercise
individually and then compare their answers in pairs.
Note: the verb ‘lurk’ in the headline, means ‘hide Note that there is only one solution that uses all the
while waiting to do something bad’. words. Ask students to refer back to the text to check
their answers.
2. Key words
Key:
a. Ask students to do the exercise individually and 1. e 6. c
then compare their answers in pairs or small groups. 2. g 7. b
Point out that ‘gadget’ and ‘device’ basically have the 3. h 8. d
same meaning but device is the more formal term 4. a
and ‘gadget’ sometimes has a negative connotation. 5. f
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 From oximeters to AI, where bias in medical devices may lurk
Level 3: Advanced – Teacher’s notes

5. Discussion

a. Allow students time to note down their ideas about

each statement and encourage them to say why they
agree or disagree with each one.

6. In your own words

a. Ask students to open an internet search engine

and enter ‘use of AI in medical treatment’. They
should collect information about at least five
uses of AI. Encourage them to focus on uses
they find surprising. This could be done as a
homework assignment.

Students could use the information to make a short

presentation about AI to the group.

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Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2022.

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O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

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