title: The completeness of AIDS case reporting, 1988: a multisite collaborative surveillance project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the completeness of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) case reporting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Statewide or hospital-specific 1988 medical records were linked with AIDS surveillance in six sites. Medical records were reviewed for persons who had diagnoses suggesting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or AIDS but were not reported to AIDS surveillance by September 1989.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 4500 hospitalized persons diagnosed with AIDS through 1988 in the six sites, completeness of reporting was 92% (95% CI = 89%, 96%; range across sites = 89% to 97%). Completeness of reporting was high in males (92%), females (95%), Whites (95%), Blacks (90%), Hispanics (92%), men reporting sexual contact with men (92%), persons reporting injecting-drug use (91%), and persons exposed to HIV through heterosexual contact (99%). In Medicaid enrollees (two states), completeness of reporting was 99% (95% CI = 95%, 99%) in inpatients and 90% (95% CI = 79%, 90%) in outpatients. Of previously reported persons with AIDS, 82% were reported within 5 months of diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Completeness of AIDS reporting was high, overall and in each major demographic and HIV exposure group. These results demonstrate that current surveillance data in these six sites provide timely and accurate information regarding persons with AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Division of HIV/AIDS, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga. 30333.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Buehler
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lieb
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Whyte
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology