Sex as a Biological Variable in Emergency Medicine Research and Clinical Practice: A Brief Narrative Review
Abstract
The National Institutes of Health recently highlighted the significant role of sex as a biologicalvariable (SABV) in research design, outcome and reproducibility, mandating that this variable beaccounted for in all its funded research studies. This move has resulted in a rapidly increasing bodyof literature on SABV with important implications for changing the clinical practice of emergencymedicine (EM). Translation of this new knowledge to the bedside requires an understanding ofhow sex-based research will ultimately impact patient care. We use three case-based scenarios inacute myocardial infarction, acute ischemic stroke and important considerations in pharmacologictherapy administration to highlight available data on SABV in evidence-based research to providethe EM community with an important foundation for future integration of patient sex in the delivery ofemergency care as gaps in research are filled.