Hi Gerard, Good response; see test.
Regards! -Thomas Clark Gerard Freriks wrote: > What are names? > What are names used for? > > Names are nothing but a set of strings consisting of characters. > What are names used for? > The applications are many, local/global, known to the individual and unknown. > Most often we need them to add new information to the correct file. > (Correct meaning the file of the same person we saw the previous time) > Names are to add a new document to other documents. And this > collection of documents are about the same person. > Many databases (include Healthcare) utilize one or more numbers as indexes since a number is not sensitive to some of the problems of names, e.g., "... Maria Theresa, archduchess of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, and queen of Hungary and Bohemia ..." What is her PatientID ? Names are used to produce a minimum set of potentially correct PatientID numbers with the proviso that the correct PatientID many be missing, e.g., insufficient information, but the search algorithm is likely designed to output only previously verified information, not correct information. Catch-22! The individual claims to be 'Maria Theresa' and upon further investigation reveals that she (hopefully) is none other than the 'archduchess of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, and queen of Hungary and Bohemia'. Call the Special Branch and the fingerprinting and photo divisions. Caveat: Relying on names to run a database might be risky. Using them as 'tags' to retrieve or create a PatientID is better, with the second caveat that one individual might end up with multiple PatientIDs. Aside: Happened to me at my HMO (twice). Was surprised to discover I had those problems. Relieved to see that the Practitioner was able to 'Wing It!". > Sometimes we need a name in order to be able to attach it to a person. > We need a name because we have to use the correct name to send the bill. > You have me here. I am unable to think of a single case in this society where an individual does not have a name. Maybe in other societies. Here a corpse on the street even gets a 'Jane/John Doe' and a 'case number'. > Sometimes we really need to know the real identity of a person. > Actually, even beyond Healthcare issues, at all times we need to know the 'real identity of a person'. Exception for Intelligence Services and others whose can function only with deceit. > In most cases the real identity is not important. > We only need an identifier to locate documents. > In most cases 'the real identity' is important, at least in this society. Medical errors alone kill anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 people per year and a significant percentage of these cases result from improper drugs, e.g., Who was that Patient. Lost a friend and a neighbor that way. > In other words what is the use case we are talking about? > Once we know this, we know what we are talking about. > What 'use case' in Healthcare does not require precise knowledge of the Patient's real identity? > Gerard > > > -- <private> -- > Gerard Freriks, arts > Huigsloterdijk 378 > 2158 LR Buitenkaag > The Netherlands > > +31 252 544896 > +31 654 792800 > On 12 Mar 2005, at 20:11, lakewood at copper.net wrote: > > Names are unusual. We have 'official' names (e.g., birth > certificate) and 'unofficial' names > (e.g., those we choose ourselves and others we are given). A > brother migrated to the > Southern US states, married and had four children. I remember > 'Gator' and 'Armadillo'; > I can't remember the official names and they probably do not like > using them. > - If you have any questions about using this list, please send a message to d.lloyd at openehr.org
