BACKGROUND: LexisNexis® Accurint® is a research tool used by most law enforcement and other governmental agencies to obtain locating information and verify identity on individuals involved in certain investigations. The Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) and Viral Hepatitis Section of the Florida Department of Health routinely utilizes this application for priority syphilis, tuberculosis, and HIV-partner services where provided information is insufficient. As a result of a routine follow up for an HIV partner services investigation, an astute technician identified that the locating address for this individual was also a primary address for more than 150 individuals over the previous 35 years. The aim of this project is to explain the practicality of this specific tool in public health and the potential for this tool to identify potential high-risk settings for STD/HIV transmission.
METHODS: An Accurint® search was performed to obtain locating information on an individual reported in Florida’s STD case management repository, Patient Reporting Investigating Surveillance Manager (PRISM). Information on the individuals reporting the same location of residence was extracted in order to determine the duration of stay, initial date of arrival, date of departure, age, and gender. Individuals were then matched to profiles in PRISM (if applicable) to determine number and type of reported infections, and the likelihood of acquiring an infection while living in the house.
RESULTS: From September 2003-July 2015, 150 de-duplicated individuals were identified as having lived in House A based upon the use of Accurint®. Twelve individuals (primarily previous owners) were also identified but excluded as part of this investigation. Of these residents, 34% (n=51) were matched to the STD PRISM database using demographic information obtained from Accurint®. Issues observed from the extraction of data from Accurint® included multiple-named instances of the same individual, lag time and precision around arrival and departure from the point of residence, and in some instances, contributing source tying to the point of residence.
CONCLUSIONS: LexisNexis® Accurint® can be a resource-friendly search tool in outbreak investigations by saving time and providing accurate information for investigation staff. Initial extracts for use in a public health investigation does require data cleaning and may have some precision limitations for epidemiologic analyses. Despite these issues, Accurint® provides a non-traditional option in STD prevention toolkit, especially in communities with substantial morbidity.