Table 4.

Selected open-ended survey responses

How would you incorporate information regarding sex and gender into your training and clinical practice?

Almost 100 % of carrying out the clinical work in my specialty does not depend on gender/sex difference of disease.

I am an Ob/Gyn so I only see women.

Rarely, except for OB it is not really that important

Care of transgender individuals

The rise of transgendered persons makes me more apt to ask about sex determined risk such as cardiovascular risks.

What barriers do you see to learning more about the impact of sex and gender in your medical practice?

There is limited time to learn all of clinical medicine. Depending on the topic, if sex/gender represents only a small part of outcome differences, then it is a fringe issue that should be prioritized low on what I would spend time learning.

It’s really not too relevant in my field.

I care exclusively for women.

Lack of separate brochures for men and women

Massively politicized—with potential for career damage depending on clinician’s views/beliefs

Discomfort among staff to discuss gender-based discussions and lifestyle variations

Gender, different than sex, the transgender patient, celebrities raising non-gender kids

It’s difficult to bring up. I don’t want to make the person I’m taking to feel uncomfortable, and I don’t want them to label me as someone who is overly sensitive to women’s issues.