Evidence mapPaperPMID 42092995Full record

SynthesisBiomedical engineering online2026

Systematic review of instruments for measuring sex and gender attributes: assessment of measurement properties and utility in research on clinical and functional outcomes.

Nada Ahmad, Alicia Ruetas, Urooba Shaikh, Thaisa Tylinski Sant'Ana, Tatyana Mollayeva

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Biomedical engineering online, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Nada Ahmad *KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue 11th Floor, Rm 11-183, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-5793-1715
Alicia Ruetas *KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue 11th Floor, Rm 11-183, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-2305-7264
Urooba Shaikh *KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue 11th Floor, Rm 11-183, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-9795-3972
Thaisa Tylinski Sant'AnaKITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue 11th Floor, Rm 11-183, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-8889-2112
Tatyana MollayevaKITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue 11th Floor, Rm 11-183, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada. tatyana.mollayeva@utoronto.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2787-1848

Funding

Canada Research Chairs CRC-2021-00074Operating Grant: Summer Institute in Sex and Gender+ Science Host / Subvention de fonctionnement: Atelier d'été sur la science du sexe et du genre+ SGS 517054UK Pilot Award for Global Brain Health Leaders GBHI ALZ UK-23-971123
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo identify and synthesize instruments used to assess sex and gender attributes in relation to clinical and functional outcomes in adults.

methodsWe searched four databases from inception to November 20, 2023, to identify English-language studies on clinical and functional outcomes that used instruments of sex and gender attributes. On July 20, 2025, we searched MEDLINE for studies on the measurement properties of the instruments previously identified. We used Holmbeck and colleagues' evidence-based criteria and rated quality based on measurement properties, including frequency of use by independent researchers, validity and reliability in relevant populations, and sufficiency of information for replication and appraisal.

resultsOf the 12,948 unique records identified through our primary searches, 46 studies met our inclusion criteria. Eighteen of the studies had male-only samples, five had female-only samples, and the remaining included samples featuring both sexes, of which one also featured transgender and nonbinary people. These studies utilized a total of 34 instruments, of which eight assessed sex and 26 assessed gender attributes, of which only one measure, the Gender Self Report, had its scores validated in samples other than binary gender. We assigned high quality ratings to three instruments measuring sex, and three measuring gender attributes, with the remaining instruments classified as moderate or lower based on the predefined rating criteria including measurement properties assessed in relevant populations. Construct validity was the most reported property, and test-retest reliability was the least reported on.

conclusionThe measurement properties of instruments measuring attributes of sex and gender in relevant populations varied. Validation of the scores in non-binary samples is limited. Further validation and application of highly rated instruments in diverse samples is timely for advancing equitable practices and policies.

Indexed as

Sex CharacteristicsFemaleGender-Nonconforming PersonsHumansMaleReproducibility of ResultsClinimetricsCOSMINEvidence synthesesFemininityGender and sex assessmentGender identityInternalized gender stigmaMasculinityMeasuresPsychometricsSex differentiationSexed anatomySexed physiologySex hormonesSexual dimorphism

Identifiers

PMID42092995
PMCPMC13317429

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.