Person—sex, code N

Identifying and definitional attributes
Metadata item type:	Data Element
Short name:	Sex
METEOR identifier:	287316
Registration status:	Children and Families, Standard 22/11/2016 Community Services (retired), Standard 25/08/2005 Disability, Standard 07/10/2014 Early Childhood, Superseded 24/07/2018 Health, Superseded 11/05/2017 Homelessness, Superseded 10/08/2018 Housing assistance, Standard 10/02/2006 Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Standard 01/11/2012 Indigenous, Superseded 16/10/2017 National Health Performance Authority (retired), Retired 01/07/2016 Youth Justice, Superseded 23/08/2022
Definition:	The biological distinction between male and female, as represented by a code.
Data Element Concept:	Person—sex

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Representation class:

Code

Data type:

Number

Format:

Maximum character length:

Permissible values:

Value	Meaning
1	Male
2	Female
3	Intersex or indeterminate

Supplementary values:

Value	Meaning
9	Not stated/inadequately described

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:

Diagnosis and procedure codes should be checked against the national ICD-10-AM sex edits, unless the person is undergoing, or has undergone a sex change or has a genetic condition resulting in a conflict between sex and ICD-10-AM code.

CODE 3 Intersex or indeterminate

Intersex or indeterminate, refers to a person, who because of a genetic condition, was born with reproductive organs or sex chromosomes that are not exclusively male or female or whose sex has not yet been determined for whatever reason.

Intersex or indeterminate, should be confirmed if reported for people aged 90 days or greater.

Comments:

The definition for Intersex in Guide for use is sourced from the ACT Legislation (Gay, Lesbian and Transgender) Amendment Act 2003.

Source and reference attributes

Origin:

Australian Capital Territory 2003. Legislation (Gay, Lesbian and Transgender) Amendment Act 2003

Reference documents:

Legislation (Gay, Lesbian and Transgender) Amendment Act 2003. See http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2003-14/20030328-4969/pdf/2003-14.pdf.

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Collection methods:

Operationally, sex is the distinction between male and female, as reported by a person or as determined by an interviewer.

When collecting data on sex by personal interview, asking the sex of the respondent is usually unnecessary and may be inappropriate, or even offensive. It is usually a simple matter to infer the sex of the respondent through observation, or from other cues such as the relationship of the person(s) accompanying the respondent, or first name. The interviewer may ask whether persons not present at the interview are male or female.

A person's sex may change during their lifetime as a result of procedures known alternatively as sex change, gender reassignment, transsexual surgery, transgender reassignment or sexual reassignment. Throughout this process, which may be over a considerable period of time, the person's sex could be recorded as either Male or Female.

In data collections that use the ICD-10-AM classification, where sex change is the reason for admission, diagnoses should include the appropriate ICD-10-AM code(s) that clearly identify that the person is undergoing such a process. This code(s) would also be applicable after the person has completed such a process, if they have a procedure involving an organ(s) specific to their previous sex (e.g. where the patient has prostate or ovarian cancer).

CODE 3 Intersex or indeterminate

Is normally used for babies for whom sex has not been determined for whatever reason.

Should not generally be used on data collection forms completed by the respondent.

Should only be used if the person or respondent volunteers that the person is intersex or where it otherwise becomes clear during the collection process that the individual is neither male nor female.

CODE 9 Not stated/inadequately described

Is not to be used on primary collection forms. It is primarily for use in administrative collections when transferring data from data sets where the item has not been collected.

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:

Australian Youth Justice Administrators (AYJA)

Origin:

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) National Mortality Database 1997/98 AIHW 2001 National Diabetes Register, Statistical Profile, December 2000 (Diabetes Series No. 2.)

Reference documents:

Australian Bureau of Statistics

AS4846 Health Care Provider Identification, 2004, Sydney: Standards Australia

AS5017 Health Care Client Identification, 2002, Sydney: Standards Australia

In AS4846 and AS5017 alternative codes are presented. Refer to the current standard for more details.

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:

Implementation in Data Set Specifications:

All attributes +

Bringing them Home/Link Up Counselling Program client numbers cluster

Indigenous, Standard 16/09/2014

Person—sex, code N

Data Element Attributes

Identifying and definitional attributes

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Source and reference attributes

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Source and reference attributes

Relational attributes

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