title: Using e-mail to notify pseudonymous e-mail sexual partners.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, Austin, TX, USA. joshua.vest@ci.austin.tx.us
authors.forename: Joshua R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Vest
authors.forename: Adolfo M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Valadez
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanner
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Patrick B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: 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