B.C. GENDER, SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION (GSSO) Health Information Standard

The Ministry of Health Gender, Sex, Sexual Orientation (GSSO) health information systems (HIS) standard and guidance aims to support inclusive, equitable, and quality healthcare in B.C. by applying a consistent approach to the ongoing modernization of GSSO information practices in B.C. healthcare, and to support improved delivery of provincial health programs and services by:

• Provide a framework, concepts, definitions, and guidance for the selection of technical artefacts from controlled medical vocabularies/health terminology standards (e.g., SNOMED CT, LOINC) and code values from health information exchange standards (i.e., HL7 International) which are used to share data between HIS. 
• Supporting quality, affirming and culturally safe care for gender diverse communities and improved health outcomes through evidence-based design and implementation guidance, and
• Modernizing principles, policies, processes, and information practices that include defining, collecting, organizing, exchanging, and using GSSO concepts in HIS which include digital health information systems (DHIS) such as electronic health records (EHRs), electronic medical records (EMRs), and patient portals.

Scope

The scope of this standard is limited to specifying the GSSO data elements that will enable consistency in B.C.’s healthcare system.

These data elements include: 

• Gender Used, including Gender Identity, and components of gender expressions such as Pronouns, and Name to Use. 
• Sex, including Sex at Birth, Sex Parameter for Clinical Use, sex-related anatomy, sex-related hormone and medication context artefacts, and sex-related surgical procedures. 
• Sexual Orientation. Nuanced aspects of sexual orientation including sexual identity, sexual attraction, and sexual behaviour are not included, although they may be relevant to clinical sexual health assessments, and 
• Administrative data elements such as Gender Used (Administrative Gender) and the Health Services Sex and Gender Marker. 

Governance

B.C. Health Information Standards, such as the B.C. Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation (GSSO) Standard, are endorsed by ministry executives and developed in consultation with program areas, subject matter experts, and advisory reference groups that include representation at the provincial and pan-Canadian level.

Current Status

Version 3.3 of the standard is published and open to external review.

• Gender, Sex, Sexual Orientation (GSSO) standard and guidance version 3.3 (PDF, 1.7MB)
• GSSO Value Sets (XLSX, 41.4KB)
• GSSO Infographic Summary (PDF, 84KB) 

Comments may be submitted by e-mail to HLTH.HISSupport@gov.bc.ca.

Maintenance

Significant analysis and review of documents and specifications were undertaken to make sure the standards developed would be applicable and attainable to the various stakeholder groups.

Wherever possible, content templates defined and reviewed by standards bodies were referenced, and appropriate constraints for the B.C. context applied.

The content of the standard may require post-production edits, additions and/or maintenance to address issues identified by technical validation. Additional adjustments may be required over time to reflect requirements in B.C. or to align with emerging pan-Canadian standards developments. 

For non-health related collection of Gender and Sex data, please refer to the B.C. IMIT standards page:

• Find an IM/IT Standard - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)