Share Key Data with Field Staff and/or Providers to Locate Individuals on NIC List and Conduct Outreach and Linkage or Re-engagement Activity
Health departments need to determine the minimum data they need to provide to field staff and/or providers responsible for conducting outreach and linkage and re-engagement services. Because these activities have the potential for security or confidentiality breaches, departments should give special attention to using the minimum amount of data needed to ensure adherence to all NCHHSTP security and confidentiality guidelines.
Health departments likely will want to consider including data that will help field staff and/or providers:
- Identify a patient (age, date of birth, gender, race/ethnicity);
- Locate a patient (current home address, most recent care provider and facility, address for most recent care provider); and
- Engage in informed outreach interactions with patient (sufficient information about patient’s diagnosis and previous care).
Suggested data for line lists that field staff/providers can use to conduct follow-up with HIV-diagnosed “not in care” (NIC) persons might include:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Race/ethnicity
- Age in years
- Most recent known telephone number
- Most recent complete home address
- Medical record number (if giving a list to a provider or going to a provider's office for follow-up)
- Facility of last care event
- Provider of last care event
- Address of last care event
- Last four digits of unique identifier
Jurisdictions might choose to include additional data on the line list depending on the method of follow-up and whether other information is essential to conducting the outreach activities. Jurisdictions should conduct a careful review of the data shared with field staff and/or the healthcare providers to ensure compliance with
legal,
ethical, and
security and confidentiality guidelines on data sharing.