In epidemiology, PII is indispensable for several reasons:
- Contact Tracing: To track the spread of infectious diseases, public health officials need to identify and communicate with individuals who may have been exposed. - Data Linkage: Combining datasets from various sources often involves PII to ensure that data from different databases pertain to the same individuals. - Follow-up Studies: Longitudinal studies require the ability to follow participants over time, which is only possible with identifiable information. - Personalized Interventions: Certain public health interventions need to be tailored to specific individuals or groups, necessitating the use of PII.
