64. A healthcare data analyst wants to analyze patient data using a primary key. What is an appropriate primary key for this application?
Answer: C
Patient health record number is the appropriate primary key for analyzing patient data.
A primary key uniquely identifies each record in a database, and the patient health record number serves this purpose effectively in healthcare data analysis.
A) Patient height
Patient height is not a suitable primary key because it can vary among individuals and does not uniquely identify a patient. Multiple patients can share the same height, making it unreliable for distinguishing records.
B) Patient age
Patient age is also an inappropriate choice for a primary key as it changes over time. Like height, it does not provide a unique identifier for each patient, as many patients can share the same age.
C) Patient health record number
The patient health record number is an ideal primary key since it is specifically designed to uniquely identify each patient within a healthcare system. This ensures accurate tracking and analysis of patient data without duplication or confusion.
D) Doctor identification number
While the doctor identification number may uniquely identify healthcare providers, it does not serve the purpose of identifying patients. Therefore, it is not an appropriate primary key for patient data analysis.
Conclusion
The patient health record number is the most suitable primary key for healthcare data analysis, as it uniquely identifies each patient and remains constant over time. In contrast, all other options fail to provide a unique or stable identifier, making them inadequate for this purpose.