       Document 0121
 DOCN  M9640121
 TI    'Soundex' codes of surnames provide confidentiality and accuracy in a
       national HIV database.
 DT    9604
 AU    Mortimer JY; Salathiel JA; PHLS AIDS Centre.
 SO    Commun Dis Rep CDR Rev. 1995 Nov 10;5(12):R183-6. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/96102412
 AB    Clinicians and microbiologists will participate in voluntary national
       reporting of HIV infections and AIDS only if they have confidence in the
       scheme's confidentiality. At the same time, if the data are to be
       accurate, it must be possible to recognise reports that refer to the
       same individual. The use of surname 'soundex' code in combination with
       date of birth meets both requirements. We describe its use in the
       database of reported HIV infections held at the PHLS AIDS Centre. By the
       end of 1994 over 93% of the 20,407 reports on the database were soundex
       coded, and 70% of AIDS reports were linked to independent reports of HIV
       infection from microbiologists. In 1994, 22% of the reports of HIV
       infection were recognised as duplicating earlier reports of infection.
       Coding surnames using soundex is an acceptable and practical tool in
       surveillance of an infection for which confidentiality is a prime
       concern.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Adolescence  Adult
       Aged  *Automatic Data Processing  *Computer Security  *Confidentiality
       *Data Collection  *Disease Notification  Female  Great Britain  Human
       *Information Systems  Male  Middle Age  Population Surveillance  JOURNAL
       ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

