Patient Demographics/Information

The pronoun(s) specified by the patient to use when referring to the patient in speech, in clinical notes, and in written instructions to caregivers. Personal pronouns* are words used instead of a noun or a noun phrase used to refer to people. Understanding which pronoun(s) to use when referring to someone is important for providing affirming health care. Avoiding incorrect pronoun use and patient misgendering is crucial in transgender and gender-diverse care. It is important to reliably exchange personal pronouns that the individual has specifically reported they want used. The information could be considered a primary (first class) element associated with the demographic information for the patient. However, it may require representation as an observation about the patient. See also CDC’s pronoun recommendations (1); and Affirming Transgender Youths’ Names and Pronouns in the Electronic Medical Record (2) for additional context. Local policy will determine how pronouns are chosen for infants and other similar situations. Policy and local custom will determine what to use when this attribute is not present, or when multiple are present. Different pronouns may be used in one care setting than another care setting. The pronouns used in the work environment may be different than those in the care setting. (1) https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/clinicians/transforming-health/health-care-providers/collecting-sexual-orientation.html (2) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2761803 * Referring to pronouns as “Personal” is something that is not universal across languages, hence the internationally-focused Gender Harmony project uses the general phrase “Pronoun”. In English speaking countries, this element may be called “Personal pronouns.”