HL7 Cross Paradigm Implementation Guide: Gender Harmony - Sex and Gender Representation, Edition 1
1.0.0 - release
HL7 Cross Paradigm Implementation Guide: Gender Harmony - Sex and Gender Representation, Edition 1
1.0.0 - release
This page is part of the HL7 Cross Paradigm IG: Gender Harmony - Sex and Gender Representation (v1.0.0: informative1 - Informative) based on FHIR v5.0.0. This is the current published version in its permanent home (it will always be available at this URL). For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Sex as the “different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etcetera” and Gender as the “socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles, and relationships of and between groups of women and men” (WHO, 2020.) In clinical practice however, there can be a multiplicity of contextual variants over a single time horizon, across multiple applications and/or institutions where clinicians, vendors and interface developers have been grappling to create their own electronic ‘work around’ specification(s) to meet local and/or internal needs.
The gender-marginalized community has health care requirements that demand improvements that will benefit all patients. This implementation guide provides structural and semantic guidance to vendors and interface developers to address these requirements.
The HL7 Informative Document: Gender Harmony - Modeling Sex and Gender Representation, Release 1 provides necessary constructs to more accurately capture sex and gender identity along with associated context of use. While the framework provides the necessary infrastructure, the specific changes in individual standards to concretely specify actual implementable structures are detailed in separate specifications (FHIR R5, V2.9.1, Representing Sex and Gender in CDA, this implementation guide provides specific additional guidance and cross-paradigm use cases.
In this document, and elsewhere, the phrase “sex or gender” is used to characterize data in which the contextual meaning of the the datum is unclear and its use is an acknowledgement that human discourse regarding this information is often equally unclear. Use of this phrase is not intended to mean a unification of information that is more clearly either Sex Parameter for Clinical Use (SPCU) or gender identity.
The conceptual model outlines the data elements, element attributes, terminology bindings and relationships that clarify the meaning and context of the information presented to guide and inform changes within operational standards. The Model has five (5) major elements independent of other components that may also be part of the information model for a Person: Gender Identity (GI), Sex Parameter for Clinical Use (SPCU), Recorded Sex or Gender (RSG), Name to Use (NtU), and Pronouns.
With the exception of one addition (Recorded Sex or Gender attribute = type with datatype = code or constrained text) and one deletion (International Equivalent Recorded Sex or Gender), the model included in this implementation guide is exactly as it is in the published Gender Harmony informative specification. The addition was made to clarify and cover the original intent of Record Sex or Gender, including the ability to specify the type or category of sex or gender that is recorded (e.g., Sex Assigned At Birth). The deletion was made in response to ballot feedback that the RSG value element is a CodeableConcept which supports “translation” of local code values to other (international) code systems.
Each of the following sections is structured to align with the UML Model in Figure 1 and provides a definition, description, usage notes (if applicable), cardinality, and attributes (with recommended terminology if applicable) for each model element.
The gender harmony model sub-elements described below are sex or gender information that may be context-dependent; in essence a sex and/or gender context type. Some of these types are multi-valued based in part on the need for independent, occasionally co-occurring, values that are specific to particular contexts of use within that type. The sensitivity of these situations heightens the importance of representing this data in a way that supports masking and access restrictions. The Sex Parameter for Clinical Use (SPCU) can also be affected by independent co-occurring contexts of use. Depending upon the procedure ordered, drug prescribed, or nature of a clinical report different SPCUs might be chosen. This can be reflected in the mapping chosen for a patient for specific clinical reasons. The medical record in an EHR system might have one set SPCU, and different specific selected SPCUs chosen for mapping to NCPDP for a drug prescription, to FHIR for an order, to HL7 v2.x for another order, and to DICOM for an imaging request. This will be especially common during the transition period when some systems have been upgraded and others have not.
The rules for these context dependent mappings are not defined in this abstract information model. They depend upon the concrete capabilities of the target system, and upon the specific clinical context at the time. It will be normal to find that when there are many objects related to a single patient (orders, reports, observations, etc.) that there are different SPCU due to differences in the context of use. Information about the context and reason for selection may be incorporated into the link to observations or reports that are part of the SPCU, or in the comment associated with Gender Identity.
With the exception of the following noted changes, the model included in this implementation guide matches the model in the published Gender Harmony informative specification.
Definition: This is an abstract representing a person.
Usage Note: This class may be mapped onto a concrete class when implemented using a model with concrete classes representing a person where additional attributes can be added or existing attributes can be enhanced. In FHIR currently this would be the following resources: Person, Patient, Practitioner, and RelatedPerson
Gender Identity describes the identity of the person. This is important in many social and cultural contexts. It might be missing, as for an infant, or multi-valued in some cultures and specific situations. The meaning, criteria, and implications of specific gender identities is defined by the local culture and society. The terms used to capture GI are expected to reflect the variations found in different cultures and locations, so only a minimum value set is defined in the logical model. Local terminology is expected to extend this value set.
Source: Person, self-reported only
Definition: An individual’s personal sense of being a man, woman, boy, girl, nonbinary, or something else. This datum represents an individual’s identity, ascertained by asking them what that identity is.
Usage Note: If the Person (such as a fetus, infant, or uncommunicative new patient) is unable to express a personal sense of being a man, woman, boy, girl or any point on the gender spectrum, gender identity may be recorded as Unknown. Unknown can be used in cases where parents do not want to specify a value but one must be recorded. Gender identity can be congruent or incongruent with one’s SPCU or RSG. Persons may identify using different terms at different times for various reasons, or use multiple identities simultaneously, depending on culture.
Given that the gender identity element supports representing multiple gender identities (cardinality is 0..n), individuals who identify as having both Male and Female gender identities (or any other combination) at the same time, each gender identity can be modeled with the same validity period. Alternatively, if implementers and/or systems prefer to use a single code, the gender identity value set is expected to be used as a minimum value set that can be extended to meet jurisdictional requirements. One possible concept that could be considered is bigender.
Cardinality: 0..n
Definition: An individual’s personal sense of being a man, woman, boy, girl, nonbinary, or something else. This datum represents an individual’s identity, ascertained by asking them what that identity is.
Cardinality 1..1
Type: Code or constrained short text
Proposed Terminology:
minValueSet: Gender Identity valueSet
Definition: The time frame during which this Gender Identity applies to the person. May be just an initial dateTime.
Usage note: Validity period may be overlapping in the case of multiple gender identities (such as for bigender persons, some gender-fluid persons, and binary Two-Spirit persons who also identify as both male and female).
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: duration or datetime
Definition: Text to further explain the use of the specified gender identity or identities.
Usage note: Content included may be related to social and/or cultural context to be considered when using the Gender Identity, particularly with overlapping active values.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: long text
Sex Parameter for Clinical Use is provided for use in orders, observations, and other clinical uses. SPCU can be highly contextual and allows specific considerations to be provided for potential automated uses and records. Examples include:
A person with polycystic ovary syndrome can be identified in a blood work order so that their unexpected hormone levels can be properly reported and not rejected as invalid results.
A female to male transgender patient early in transition undergoing imaging wherein the device requires selection of either M or F to complete the set up would benefit from an imaging context-specific SPCU noting the patient needs to have the setup for “Female-typical”
There are many other situations involving tumors, resections, congenital conditions (i.e., ovotestes), and transgender patients where SPCU can be used to provide information that is needed to perform a procedure properly. Many procedures need at least a “male” or “female” specification (e.g., for radiation shielding).
SPCU provides a general extendable structure. During the transition from old systems to new systems, and as medical technology and science evolve, the rules for SPCU selection and referenced clinical observations will change. As technology changes these business rules may change, and the ordering systems are expected to accommodate changes to the order filling systems. The gender harmony model enables adaptation of old systems and new technologies.
The SPCU, when used for a specific observation, describes a context that clarifies the settings or reference ranges for the observation. For example, the computation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) based on blood chemistry may use formulas that are different for “male” and “female”. The SPCU for the GFR report can indicate which formula should be used in the computation of that result. In cases where there is a patient level SPCU, the patient level value can be used as a default (any specific use) value unless a specific SPCU for that observation has been specified, in which case, the specified SPCU should apply. The gender harmony model does not cover the description of the use of SPCU in type of observation, but the approach for each is the same.
Definition: A Sex Parameter for Clinical Use is a parameter that provides guidance on how a recipient should apply settings or reference ranges that are derived from observable information such as an organ inventory, recent hormone lab tests, genetic testing, menstrual status, obstetric history, etc. This property is intended for use in clinical decision making, and indicates that treatment or diagnostic tests should consider best practices associated with the relevant reference population.
Usage Note(s): A sex category that supports context specificity, derived from observable information, preferably directly linked to the information this element summarizes (such as a comment or a linked data observation) in order to clarify the context and resulting value. This element is intended to characterize observations that align with or vary from female or male when the observation(s) are intended for use in a clinical activity. In some systems the SPCU value may be automatically determined based on the medical record so that they match the recipient system’s needs.
There may be restrictions on specific protocols or for specific targets. The value multiplicity for a specific protocol or target may be 1..1 or 0..1. The GH model does not specify how such restrictions should be implemented. They should reflect the purpose of the communication and the capabilities of the systems involved. This may require individual site specific business rules to map a multi-valued SPCU into a single value that is appropriate for this context.
The model supports multiple instances of SPCU to allow, when necessary, more than one concurrent SPCU for a patient. For example, there could be multiple procedure results, each identifying a context specific SPCU determination used to set the normal range used. For example an SPCU value and linked comment or specific observation could be summarized as “male, based on hormonal measurement.”
Cardinality: 0..n, Multiple instances of an SPCU can exist and each instance will have the attributes listed below.
Definition: A parameter that provides guidance on how a recipient should apply settings or reference ranges that are derived from observable information such as an organ inventory, recent hormone lab tests, genetic testing, menstrual status, obstetric history, etc.
Cardinality: 1..1
Type: Code or constrained short text
Proposed Terminology:
ValueSet: SexForClinicalUseCategory valueSet
Definition: Time frame during which this summary value applies to the patient. May be just an initial dateTime.
Usage Note: Validity period may overlap among different SPCU values based on procedure or process used to determine the value
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: duration
Usage note: Content included may be related to social and/or cultural context to be considered or additional information related to the linked observations, particularly with overlapping active values
Cardinality: 0..1
Definition: Link to, or identifier of, the observation(s) or report(s) that are used to determine the sex category value.
Usage Note: The specific implementation of these links will vary based on the standard used. This GH model does not specify the encoding mechanism for a link. It could be a DOI, a URL, a DICOM SCOORD-3D, etc. The specific standards and implementations will specify this. The linked information should clearly align with the chosen SPCU. For example, a patient with an initial diagnosis of an intersex condition could have supporting clinical observations specific to the diagnosis. Additional information may be provided in the Comment attribute.
Cardinality: 0..n
Type: string
Recorded Sex or Gender information may originate from a physical or electronic document that was provided to a medical provider. This information may also originate from fields in medical systems that were initially populated using those documents, or via patient attestations. The rules for collection of these documents and fields have varied significantly over time and place therefore the relationship to current Gender Identity or Sex Parameters for Clinical Use may be unclear.
The RSG model includes source information so that the definition of “X” in a driver’s license can be found if necessary and the jurisdiction can be recorded.
Definition: Recorded Sex or Gender (RSG) information includes the various sex and gender concepts that are often used in existing systems but are known to NOT represent a Gender Identity, Sex Parameter for Clinical Use, or attributes related to sexuality, such as sexual orientation, sexual activity, or sexual attraction.
Usage Note: If a medical system needs to exchange a single internal field labeled “sex” which, over time, has been used to capture both sex and gender, Recorded Sex or Gender may be an appropriate way to exchange such data.
It is understood that administrative gender, administrative sex, and sex assigned at birth are exchanged today, and when exchanged in this way the data should not be considered a representation of Gender Identity (GI) or Sex Parameter for Clinical Use (SPCU). It is expected that these concepts may continue to be exchanged using existing established methods without using RSG. But, when SAAB is exchanged as an RSG entry the “type” should be specified as “sex assigned at birth” or another regionally specific short text string. As a result of feedback from the Gender Harmony Project and in-line with the gender harmony model, the US Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) recognized in its Standards Bulletin (SB22-2), regarding the development and finalization of United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) Version 3, that “the data element Sex (Assigned at Birth) is used to represent different concepts not necessarily associated with what is assigned at the time of birth, such as clinically relevant sex for labs or diagnostic imaging, as well as administrative sex as recorded on birth certificates and health forms.” As a result, ONC changed the name of the data element to “Sex” acknowledging the previous limitation to birth information documentation.
Cardinality: 0..n
Guidance: When evaluating when and how to exchange sex or gender concepts, consider whether Gender Identity or Sex Parameters for Clinical Use may be better for the relevant use case. If those concepts are not appropriate or available, then the following approach for exchanging Recorded Sex or Gender may be used:
The value sets used to exchange Recorded Sex or Gender values are expected to be defined by the owner of the specific concept being exchanged. For example, if you are exchanging the sex on the driver’s license in a specific region, that region’s driver registration authority would define the value set, and those values would be used in the exchange. As such, creating new value sets to represent Recorded Sex or Gender values is not necessary and should be avoided.
Definition: The actual value found on the document. This may be in any character set. For example, a Russian identity card might have the value ‘ж’ for sex.
Cardinality: 1..1
Type: Code or constrained short text
Note that based upon ballot feedback, the proposed InternationalEquivalentRecordedSexOrGender element with values based upon the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) code system is no longer included. Implementers may provide an ICAO translation to the value provided.
Definition: The type or category of sex or gender identity that is recorded.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: code or constrained text
Definition: A short phrase that describes the document or record that includes the sex or gender identity value. E.g., national ID card, birth certificate, passport.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: string
Definition: The date that the document was scanned, processed, etc. to extract the sex or gender identity information.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: datetime
Definition: The time frame during which the document is valid. May be just an initial dateTime.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: duration
Definition: Jurisdiction or organization that issued the document.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: string
Definition: Name of the source field in the document for this Recorded Sex or Gender instance.
Usage Note: This may be in any character set. For example, on a Russian identity card it could be ‘Пол’.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: string
Definition: A description of the source field in the document for this Recorded Sex or Gender instance.
Usage Note: Further description of the source field to clarify intent of meaning. This may be a link or an external reference. For example, there is an international standard for the fields on an international travel passport.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: string
The Name to Use enables care providers to use the name that is chosen by the person. This element may match but is distinct from a person’s legal name and is the appropriate name to be used in person-centered healthcare conversations. Some cultures have very long names, and expect that for all but mandatory legal situations, the person will use a more manageable name. Jurisdictions have different rules and processes for name changes, so there is often a mismatch that can be prolonged in difficult situations.
Definition: Text attribute that provides the name that should be used when addressing or referencing the patient.
Usage Note: This information is usually provided by the patient. Depending on the standard applicable to an implementation, this might be encoded within a Person/Patient Name field with an appropriate name type qualifier but is independent of any other name type or name component. This may be a nickname or formal name. Multiple cardinalities are required to support changes in desired name over time, such as when a patient desires a change in name to align with expressed gender identity. This means a validity period and a comment attribute to allow text that can be used to capture context for use of the name.
Cardinality: 0..n
Definition: Name to Use when addressing or referencing the patient.
Cardinality: 1..1
Type: string
Definition: The timeframe during which the Name is to be used. May just include a start date.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: duration
– Definition: Text to further explain use of the Name. This may be related to social and/or cultural context.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: long text
Definition: Pronoun(s) specified by the patient to use when referring to the patient in speech, in clinical notes, and in written instructions to caregivers.
Usage Note: Personal pronouns are words used instead of a noun or a noun phrase used to refer to people. Understanding which pronoun(s) to use when referring to someone is important for providing affirming health care. Avoiding incorrect pronoun use and patient misgendering is crucial in transgender and gender-diverse care. It is important to reliably exchange personal pronouns that the individual has specifically reported they want used. The information could be considered a primary (first class) element associated with the demographic information for the patient. However, it may require representation as an observation about the patient. Local policy will determine how pronouns are chosen for infants and other similar situations. Policy and local custom will determine what to use when this attribute is not present, or when multiple are present.
Different pronouns may be used in one care setting than another care setting. The pronouns used in the work environment may be different than those in the care setting.
Cardinality: 0..n
Definition: The noun or a noun phrase used for the patient.
Cardinality: 1..1
Type: Code or constrained short text
Proposed Terminology:
ValueSet: Pronouns valueSet
Definition: The timeframe during which the pronoun is to be used. May just include a start date.
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: duration
Definition: Text to further explain use of the pronoun.
Usage Note: Multiple pronoun entries may exist and overlap as some persons utilize multiple pronouns simultaneously or switch usage based on context, familiarity, comfortability, and/or Gender Identity (for instance, in the case of bigender or gender-fluid persons).
Cardinality: 0..1
Type: long text
IG © 2022+ HL7 Terminology Infrastruture Work Group. Package hl7.xprod.uv.gender-harmony#1.0.0 based on FHIR 5.0.0. Generated 2023-09-29
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