Targeted intervention and monitoring of sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, and gender identity data scale-up: the intersection of research, policy, and patient care.

Abstract

Background: To achieve a paradigm shift in the rigor of sexual and gender minority cancer studies, health systems must integrate sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, and gender identity (SSOGI) measures into electronic medical records (EMRs) and scale up SSOGI data collection in oncology settings. The SSOGI Collect project sought to identify barriers and facilitators for SSOGI data collection and design a tailored intervention to inform and encourage oncology staff to increase collection in a culturally sensitive manner.

Methods: We employed mixed methods, including qualitative interviews with oncology staff, live training sessions on SSOGI data collection, and monitoring of SSOGI documentation rates in the EMR.

Results: Fifteen semistructured interviews with oncology staff were conducted. Forty live training sessions were delivered to health system personnel on SSOGI data collection. After trainings, SSOGI documentation rates increased in both targeted oncology clinics and across the health system as a whole.

Conclusions: The SSOGI Collect project demonstrated that live training sessions are an effective strategy for improving SSOGI data collection in oncology settings. This initiative aligned with an unexpected, broader health system effort to enhance SSOGI data collection in response to new state legislation. This study highlights the importance of tailored interventions for integrating SSOGI data into EMRs, which led to improved data completeness and documentation across oncology clinics and the wider health system.