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Comment by soelost | Hacker News Reader

This also addresses InGodsName.

My solution is an app where we log all new partners and periodically log our on-going partners, and then update when we're tested, whether positive or negative. If positive, the app alerts all partners to the 4th degree. The 4th degree, in the event your partner cheats on you and that person ends up testing positive. The app could alert you and your partner at the same time. Its not about blame or shame but getting people tested and treated so they stop infecting others. If negative, then the app won't send you alerts from partners prior to your test date.

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Just speaking for myself, but there is no way I'd ever give any app (except possibly a personal journal/writing app) that kind of data. In my opinion, who I bone is my business, and it is my responsibility to get tested regularly if I'm having unprotected sex with lots of partners.

Do you mind telling me your age? I can definitely say you're not the first person to say that. Early on I got that from a handful of people, along with a few others asking what kind of information they'd have to share, and from there I decided to anonymize it based on HIPAA's Methods for De-identification.

It is your business and responsibility. I agree with you, but I just wish everyone else felt the same way and acted as though they did. But the number's tell a different story.

With that said, you can drive down the highway at 65 with your seatbelt on following all the rules. But if everyone else feels like driving against traffic then you're still at risk. And Im not saying to act reckless because everyone else is. Im saying to turn on your radio to listen to the traffic alerts.

My question for you is, are you dead set on your stance or is there something that could change your mind? Some of the people that were opposed at first didn't want to share their identities while others felt they owed it to their partners to call them. The reason I ask is because you gave an exception.

I'm ~25.5 years old, and had a pretty healthcare oriented upbringing (I grew up in family of clinicians).

So I guess I'm not 100% dead set, but pretty close. If this tool was used in a healthcare context, by healthcare professionals I might consent to it. For example, if as part of my annual check up I filled out a list of the people I had intercourse with (and their location, DOB, some more identifiers) and the last time I did so, etc. and it got entered into the EHR, and then EHR did some linking (Epic EHR already has Care Everywhere which links records across health systems), then at least the data would be in the system. From there it could automatically send alerts out, or perhaps better, it would alert your physician/clinician that you might be of higher risk. I don't think the clinician (or any human user, besides the user them self) should be able to see who their self reported partners are.

So the above system makes the assumption that people have regular access to physicians, which is not a safe assumption. People who already have regular access should be getting screened by their clinician to see if they are at risk, and then tested. So I'm not sure it really has that much of a value add, and it certainly adds some complexity.

I'm all for reducing the burden of STDs/STIs, but I'm not sure that a registry is the best approach, but I'm not a health policy person.

When you said personal journal my thought was, this isn't a journal but it is a personal log. It's not like me or any other users can see it.

I definitely want to move in the direction of users logging partners on their own, and clinicians sending out the alerts but don't know how to tackle that part so Im starting with user inputs since thats fairly straightforward.

Why are you so accepting of it in the context of a healthcare system but not so much when its outside of that? Isn't a registry a registry no matter how slice it? And what features or safeguards would make you more comfortable with it outside of a healthcare system?

BTW I really appreciate you letting me pick your brain.

Hey - I don’t have time to reply to this atm with holidays and idk when the thread will die but feel free to email me. It’s in my profile

My first reaction is - that's crazy, no-one's gonna want to be a part of that.

Some thoughts: How do you ID people? (Name isn't enough) Does everyone have to be on the system? People sleep with people overseas sometimes, so..would have to be international. At times people sleep with people and don't know their (full) name. And maybe the risk is higher in precisely those cases.

No-one? Those are strong words.

You add them using their phone number. You can give them a name just so you know who's on your list but the system won't actually have their name. As of now, if me and you have a mutual partner, that partner doesn't have to be a member, but the two of us would have to add the person to our lists. International is important: Im sometimes one of those people. Luckily we end up connecting on Facebook or IG. For now I'll be starting with the US to get my feet wet. If theres interest then I will proceed. People sleep with strangers, some people are poly, regardless of the reason, its a way to keep track of who and when, and if needed, to also alert them.

Whats your second reaction? LOL

Strong words? Isn't it what most people would say? (Or at least think - I doubt they'd say or write it to you - that would be rude maybe. That's why I thought my honest first reaction might be useful.)

My second reaction was thinking about it and asking you some questions. Hmm yeah, I guess you don't need 100% coverage of people for it to be some use. (Personally I don't have a phone number, but I guess that's unusual!)

It made me laugh because it caught me off guard. But never say no-one because people do weird things then go online and form groups around those weird things. LOL

100% coverage isn't needed. As long as alerts and testing aren't taking months and the infections aren't being recycled then I am happy to help a few. But I would much rather help the masses. But as you've shown it definitely won't be easy. Btw, if you just want email alerts let me know ;)

Also, I read somewhere once "If no-one's told you lately that your ideas are crazy, you aren't being creative enough."

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