HL7 is an international health data exchange standards organization. Through it’s Gender Harmony Project it is working to improve sex and gender data collection and exchange in health information systems. HL7 defines gender as an individual's personal sense of being a man, woman, boy, girl, or something else, and gender is different than sex.
HL7's work compliments Canadian efforts to modernize sex and gender data collection, use and sharing underway by Canada Health Infoway's Sex-Gender Working Group and the CHIR Sex-Gender Stakeholder Engagement sessions, but is distinct from these initiatives.
HL7 is seeking feedback on gender concepts, synonyms and definitions through a brief survey.
Both the HL7 Gender Harmony project and Infoway's Sex-Gender Working Group are open for your participation. To learn more about the importance of modernizing sex and gender concepts in EHRs, read Beyond the Binary.