Estimating the sensitivity and specificity of matching name-based with non-name-based case registries

Area of Science:

• Public Health Surveillance
• Epidemiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Non-name-based case registries are increasingly used for reporting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.
• Evaluating the accuracy of these registries for data matching is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of case registry matches using non-name-based registries.
• To compare matching performance between name-based and non-name-based data.

Main Methods:

• Matched AIDS, sexually transmitted disease (STD), and tuberculosis (TB) case registries using all available information as a standard.
• Re-matched registries using five increasingly less specific criteria.
• Transformed registries into non-name-based codes for HIV registry matching.

Main Results:

• Name-based registry matching showed increased sensitivity but slightly decreased accuracy with less exacting criteria.
• Specificities remained high (near 100%) due to a small number of matched cases.
• Non-name-based registry matches yielded results similar to name-based matches, indicating comparable performance.

Conclusions:

• Non-name reporting methods can be effectively used for data matching in public health.
• The accuracy of non-name-based registries is acceptable for surveillance and linkage of infectious disease data.
• This approach supports robust public health data management without compromising privacy.