Ensuring accountability for consideration of sex as a biological variable in research

The National Institute of Health (NIH) policy, Consideration of Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV) in NIH-funded Research (2015), focuses on the expectation that researchers account for the influence of SABV in vertebrate animal and human studies and provide a strong justification for single-sex investigations. When SABV is considered in the research design, data analyses, and reporting, the rigor and reproducibility of the research are elevated and inform best practices and precision health for all people. Additional recommendations include the appropriate use of terminology, integration into curricula, intersection with social determinants of health, and application of sex and gender equity guidelines when disseminating research. This paper is a “call to action” for nurse researchers to lean into and apply this policy’s principles and our recommendations, from the bench to the bedside, to advance the equity and health of all people. •Omics-based clinical discoveries explain the influences of sex and gender on health and disease.•Despite consensus that sex and gender are distinct constructs, their use in research is unreliable.•Key recommendations to advance generation and dissemination of rigorous research are provided.•The SAGER guidelines promote the systematic reporting of sex and gender in research.