Patient Privacy and Low-Resolution Disease Maps
Author Information
Author(s): John S. Brownstein, Christopher A. Cassa, Isaac S. Kohane, Kenneth D. Mandl
Primary Institution: Children's Hospital Informatics Program at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Hypothesis
Can low-resolution disease maps effectively protect patient privacy from re-identification?
Conclusion
Lowering the resolution of disease maps does not adequately protect patient addresses from being re-identified.
Supporting Evidence
- The method identified 26% of patient addresses from a low-resolution map.
- For a higher-resolution map, 79% of patient addresses were correctly identified.
- Addresses were predicted to be within 14 meters of the actual location for the publication quality map.
Takeaway
This study shows that even blurry maps can still reveal where patients live, which is not safe for their privacy.
Methodology
The study used a five-step process to reverse identify patient addresses from low-resolution maps.
Potential Biases
The method may not account for all variables affecting address re-identification.
Limitations
The study relied on simulated data rather than actual patient addresses.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on patient addresses in urban and suburban areas of Boston, MA.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 27.4–30.4
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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