Gender

Gender can have the following values:

• Male
• Female
• Not Known (i.e. the user has never updated the field)
• Not Specified (i.e. user has identified that fact is not known)

If you are tracing a patient record on the basis of telephone or written communication, it may be difficult to determine the gender of the patient. In a number of cases, gender may be derived from patients’ full first name. However, in the case of unfamiliar names, it is always advisable to check gender with the patient rather than making an assumption.