Sex and gender considerations in transplantation research: protocol for a scoping review

BACKGROUND: Despite the growing appreciation of the importance of sex and gender considerations in transplantation research, there is currently no framework or good practice guidelines for the appropriate handling of sex and gender issues in human allotransplantation research. METHODS: We will conduct a scoping review to synthesize the evidence on how matters of sex and gender have been handled in human allotransplantation research. We will survey the literature discussing sex and gender in relation to transplantation, including adult and pediatric patients, hematopoietic and solid organ transplant recipients as well as organ donors. We will search MEDLINE and Embase for literature discussing sex and gender in relation to transplantation. Two reviewers will independently evaluate the eligibility of all identified titles and abstracts for inclusion in the full text review, as well as data extraction. Descriptive data and information on how sex and gender have been considered in human transplantation research will be reported. DISCUSSION: This scoping review will be an important stepping stone towards the development of good practice guidelines on study design and analysis considerations when handling sex and gender issues in human transplantation research. This scoping review can also help identify methodological issues that restrict the translation of transplantation research findings into clinical practice related to underestimation of sex/gender differences. This review will ultimately identify major gaps, inform donor-recipient selection, guide personalized interventions, and prioritize research recommendations in human transplantation research. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-017-0578-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.