title: Validating Procedures used to Identify Duplicate Reports in Haiti's National HIV/AIDS Case Surveillance System.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Valid deduplication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) case reports is critical to the utility of these data to inform HIV programs. The Haitian Ministry of Health (MSPP) and partners operate a case-based, national HIV/AIDS surveillance system (HASS), using deterministic and probabilistic procedures to identify duplicate records. These procedures are described and validated based on expert classifications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two samples of HASS records identified as duplicates were selected: 100 pairs from deterministic and 100 pairs from probabilistic matching procedures (total: 200 pairs, 400 case reports). Clinical data from the national electronic medical record (iSanté) were reviewed and consensus gold-standard determinations on the status of duplications were made. False positive rates (FPR) were estimated by reviewing these records, while false negative rates were calculated (FNR) by using LinkPlus™ probabilistic linkage software. The effect of deduplication on total HIV case counts was demonstrated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Review of deterministic matches yielded 99 true positives and 1 false positive (FPR, 1 per 100; 95% CI, 0.71-5.4). Review of probabilistic matches yielded a FPR of 6 per 100 (95% CI, 2.7-12.4). LinkPlus identified 1,491 probable matches among 68,393 records, representing a FNR of 2 per 100 (95% CI, 0.55-7.0). After adjustment, the estimated unique count of reported HIV patients in HASS was 211,885 (95% CI, 207, 293-213, 232) as of December 2013.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on application of the established procedures, HASS conforms to the duplication performance standard recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for HIV surveillance.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delcher
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Puttkammer
authors.forename: Reginald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arnoux
authors.forename: Kesner
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Francois
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Griswold
authors.forename: Irum
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.forename: Yves Anthony
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Patrice Joseph
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Marston
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006205:Haiti / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States