Database Management Flashcards

Which database field type is most appropriate for storing a patient's date of birth in a healthcare information system?

Answer: DATE

DATE fields store calendar dates in a standardized format, enabling accurate age calculations and date-range queries.

In a relational database, what term describes a field in one table that references the primary key of another table?

Answer: Foreign key

A foreign key establishes a referential link between two tables, enforcing relational integrity across the database.

A coder notices that the same patient has two different medical record numbers in the HIM database. Which database principle has been violated?

Answer: Data integrity

Data integrity ensures that information stored in the database is accurate, consistent, and free of duplicates.

What is the purpose of a query in a healthcare database management system?

Answer: To retrieve specific information from the database

A query retrieves, filters, or aggregates data from a database based on specified criteria.

Which normalization form eliminates partial dependencies by ensuring all non-key attributes are fully functionally dependent on the entire primary key?

Answer: Second Normal Form (2NF)

Second Normal Form (2NF) removes partial dependencies, requiring every non-key column to depend on the whole composite primary key.

In a hospital's coding database, an encoder links ICD-10-CM codes to DRG assignments. What type of database relationship does this represent?

Answer: One-to-many

A one-to-many relationship exists because one DRG can be assigned to many patient encounters sharing that code grouping.

Which SQL clause is used to filter results after a GROUP BY aggregation in a healthcare analytics query?

Answer: HAVING

The HAVING clause filters grouped results, unlike WHERE which filters individual rows before grouping.