Are sex and gender dimensions accounted for in NICE guidelines? A systematic review of 223 clinical guidelines.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The importance of sex and gender in the diagnosis and management of health conditions is well established, but the extent to which sex and gender disaggregated evidence is integrated into UK clinical practice guidelines remains unknown. Recent reviews of clinical guidelines in Canada and Europe identified that limited and inconsistent attention was paid to sex and gender dimensions of health and illness. This study aimed to determine how the UK's National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines account for sex and gender.

Methods

The study reviewed all NICE guidelines categorised as 'clinical guidelines' by NICE (223), excluding those solely linked to single-sex conditions (26). Reviewers evaluated whether they included information on sex and

SUBMITTER: Hulme R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12273117 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature