The Ministry of Health Gender, Sex, Sexual Orientation (GSSO) health information systems (HIS) standard and guide aims to support inclusive, equitable, and quality healthcare in BC by applying a consistent approach to the ongoing modernization of GSSO information practices in BC healthcare, and to support improved delivery of provincial health programs and services by:
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:
The B.C. Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation Standard is governed by the provincial Digital Health Standards Office (DHSO).
Version 3.1 of the standard is published and open to external review.
Comments may be submitted by e-mail to hlth.hissupport@gov.bc.ca
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 pan-Canadian GSSO value sets, browse the Canada Health Infoway (CHI) site at Subsets (infoway-inforoute.ca) and/or the Terminology Gateway at Terminology Gateway (infoway-inforoute.ca).
Note: To access national health information standards, simply login to your Infoway account and reconfirm acceptance of the Terms Of Use & License Agreements.
For non-health related collection of Gender and Sex data, please refer to the B.C. IMIT standards page:
Last updated: July 11, 2024