Less than five is less than ideal: replacing the "less than 5 cell size" rule with a risk-based data disclosure protocol in a public health setting.

Setting: The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is one of the largest and most diverse health regions in Canada. Within the WRHA, the Population and Public Health (PPH) Surveillance Team provides epidemiological support across a variety of public health service areas.

Intervention: We developed and deployed a risk-based data disclosure protocol that balances the need to share public health surveillance data with the need to protect personal health information.