Databases G4002 Methods in Medical Informatics Databases Introduction Efficient storage of large number of facts, organized by small number of rules. The hospital assigns a unique identifier to every patient. Laboratory tests determine the amount of some analyte that is present in a biological sample.
Specimens are substances extracted from the body of a patient.
The measurement consists of a number and unit of measure. Body substances include serum, plasma, urine, and whole blood. Units include milliequivalents per dl, thousands of cells per cc, and percentage. Specimens are collected by phlebotamists and analyzed by laboratory technicians. The laboratory assigns a unique identifier to every specimen.