Integration & Interoperability News

Data Standards Key for EHR Documentation of Gender Minority Patients

A health system implemented SOGI EHR documentation protocols, but a lack of data standards limits the usability of SOGI data across the care continuum.

Data Standards Key for EHR Documentation of Gender Minority Patients

Source: Getty Images

By Hannah Nelson

- As healthcare organizations look to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) EHR documentation to improve health equity for gender-minority patients, a lack of national data standards limits data usability across the care continuum, according to a study published in JAMIA.

Geisinger, an integrated health system located in rural Pennsylvania, modified its Epic EHR system to enable the collection and use of SOGI-related information.

In particular, the health system added four new data elements:

  • Gender identity, which refers to how individuals perceive themselves
  • Birth sex, which documents anatomic and/or physiologic characteristics
  • Affirmation history, which documents transition steps for transgender patients
  • Organ inventory, which documents organ history for transgender patients