GUIDE

To modernize gender, sex and sexual orientation (GSSO) information practices in digital and electronic health records (EHRs) in supporting the health of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in Canada.

Vision and Goals 🔭

Envisage an equity- and SGM-oriented intervention that embraces diversity and aligns with other SGM-related initiatives. The ultimate goal is to have inclusive organizational policies, culturally competent staff and enabling EHR systems with modernized GSSO information practices to help achieve equitable health care access, experiences and outcomes for SGM.

FOUNDATIONAL

Engagement and Partnerships 🌐

Engage communities and organizations across Canada to modernize GSSO information practices in EHRs that support equity-oriented health care and can meet SGM needs. Examples include SGM and Indigenous Two-Spirit communities, patients, advocates, executives, clinicians, staff, professional associations, government jurisdictions, vendors, IT professionals, legal and privacy experts, researchers, educators and the public.

GSSO Terminology 📚

Establish a precise, inclusive, appropriate, evolving and multi-level GSSO terminology with standardized data definitions, coding schemes and value sets that will support affirming patient care, provide complete and accurate health system use of data and inform health research.

STRATEGIC

Enabling EHR Systems💻

Adopt a common set of EHR functions that support the collection and use of standardized GSSO data, SGM-oriented clinical care guidelines information governance, health system performance tracking, clinical quality improvement, data-driven analytics and health evidence generation.

GSSO Policy/Practice Guidelines 🏛️

Integrate and tailor GSSO data collection and use, including secondary uses, within all organizational structures, policies, practices, governance, use cases and workflow processes in order to be responsive to specific care needs of SGM.

Education and Training🎓

Educate and train health care staff to enhance their capacity to provide culturally competent and safe care, and implementers, policy-makers and researchers to ensure required safeguards are in place to protect GSSO data. Inform patients on the need for GSSO data collection and protections for safe access and use.

IMMEDIATE

Central Hub for Coordination 🏢

Establish a central hub to liaise, guide, assist and monitor the progress of this action plan over time. To do so, the hub needs a pan-Canadian mandate, stakeholder commitment, consensus process and proper resourcing. An immediate next step is to have a national conversation about this action plan and reach consensus on a path forward.