The impact of the 1993 AIDS case definition on the completeness and timeliness of AIDS surveillance.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of the 1993 change in the AIDS case definition on the completeness and timeframe of AIDS case reporting in San Francisco.


METHODS
Retrospective review of records: billing records, list of selected diagnostic codes, radiology logs, ophthalmology clinic records, and patient registries at a selection of hospitals, clinics, and physician offices.


METHODS
Hospitals, public/community health clinics, and physician offices.


METHODS
The completeness of reporting and the median reporting delay was calculated for hospitals, clinics, and physician offices.


RESULTS
Reporting was 97% complete. Reporting from physician offices was less complete (75%) than from other facilities. The median reporting delay was 1 month and was shorter for persons who met the 1993 AIDS case definition (1 month) than for persons who met the 1987 case definition (3 months).


CONCLUSIONS
AIDS case reporting in San Francisco is highly complete but less so for persons diagnosed at physician offices. The 1993 AIDS case definition has resulted in more timely reporting. Health departments should consider efforts to improve reporting from private physician offices and should evaluate the use of laboratory-initiated CD4 reporting.
San Francisco Department of Public Health, California 94102, USA.
S K
SK
Schwarcz
L C
LC
Hsu
M K
MK
Parisi
M H
MH
Katz
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology