Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42493797›Full record

ArticleInternational journal for equity in health2026

A conceptual framework for measuring AI health equity.

Basile Njei, Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye, Luchuo Engelbert Bain, Yazan A Al-Ajlouni, Olugbenga Ogedegbe, M Elizabeth Sobhia, Rena C Patel, Sonia S Anand, Alan Tita

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal for equity in health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Basile NjeiEngelhardt School of Global Health and Bioethics, Euclid University, Bangui, Central African Republic. basilenjei@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0714-4368
Ulrick Sidney KanmounyeResearch Department, Association of Future African Neurosurgeons, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Luchuo Engelbert BainAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Yazan A Al-AjlouniMontefiore Medical Center/Einstein School of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
Olugbenga OgedegbeInstitute for Excellence in Health Equity, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
M Elizabeth SobhiaDepartment of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India.
Rena C PatelDepartment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Sonia S AnandChanchlani Research Centre, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Alan TitaCenter for Women's Reproductive Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundArtificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in health systems globally and has the potential to improve efficiency, diagnostic accuracy, and decision support. However, its benefits remain unevenly distributed, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Models developed using datasets from specific populations may perform poorly in other settings, reinforcing structural inequities rather than correcting them.

objectiveThis viewpoint proposes a composite framework, the AI in Healthcare Equity Index (AIHEI), to support measurable assessment of equity in health AI systems. FRAMEWORK: The AIHEI is designed to assess equity across five domains: data representation, algorithmic fairness, transparency and explainability, governance and oversight, and community impact and benefit sharing. By generating a standardised score, the index could enable comparisons across technologies, incentivise improvement, and support regulation, procurement, publication, and funding decisions. IMPLICATIONS: Pilots across diverse health domains and geographic settings are needed to assess feasibility, refine domain weighting, and evaluate reliability, reproducibility, and validity. Important challenges include contextual definitions of fairness, data sovereignty, post-deployment monitoring, and the risk of metric gaming.

conclusionsQuantifying equity in health AI is essential to ensure that AI does not create, widen, or exacerbate existing disparities by neglecting underserved populations. A common, objective measure of AI-related health equity can help move the field from ethical aspiration toward measurable accountability, monitoring, and enforcement.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceHealth EquityDeveloping CountriesHumansArtificial intelligenceHealth equityLow- and middle-income countries

Identifiers

PMID42493797
PMCPMC13397789

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.