Using e-mail to notify pseudonymous e-mail sexual partners.
OBJECTIVE
Quantify the factors associated with reporting sexual partners only known by, or able to be contacted by, an e-mail address (pseudonymous partners) and evaluate the efforts of provider partner notification when only an e-mail address was available.


METHODS
Persons with pseudonymous e-mail sexual partners were compared with unmatched controls. Associations were quantified by odds ratios and the effectiveness of provider partner notification attempts was assessed by comparison of outcomes of pseudonymous e-mail sexual partners and sexual partners with traditional contact information.


RESULTS
Factors associated with having pseudonymous e-mail sexual partners included: male sex, white non-Hispanic, history of prior sexually transmitted diseases, multiple sexual partners, and reporting male-to-male sexual contact. Efforts at provider partner notification via e-mail were successful with 49.7% of pseudonymous partners notified and 40.1% evaluated.


CONCLUSIONS
Internet-based forms of communications can be utilized as means to contact and identify risk partners. If this avenue is not utilized, public health agencies may be unable to intervene with a potentially growing percentage of at-risk persons.
Vest
Joshua R
JR
Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, Austin, TX, USA. joshua.vest@ci.austin.tx.us
Valadez
Adolfo M
AM
Hanner
Andrea
A
Lee
James H
JH
Harris
Patrick B
PB
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003219:Confidentiality; D016358:Contact Tracing / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015397:Program Evaluation; D040442:Public Health Informatics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology