Chapter 10 Math 287
numbers (Figure 10.11). Spreadsheet programs make it easy to perform
mathematical operations on groups of numbers. You can easily add a col-
umn; calculate the mean, median, or mode of a column; or perform other
mathematical operations on information organized in a column or a row.
Inserting formulas into the spreadsheet will enable the user to perform
automatic calculations.
A database is a detailed collection of related information organized for
convenient access, generally on a computer. An example of a database in a
physician’s offi ce is a specialized database with patient information such
as name, address, telephone number, emergency contact number, social
security number, health insurance information, and dates of offi ce visits.
Charts and Graphs
Charts and graphs are used to display information clearly and quickly.
Healthcare environments use charts and graphs extensively. Temperature
is often graphed on a patient’s chart so the physician can quickly view the
fl uctuations in a clear, easy-to-read manner.
Many graphs and charts are used throughout the healthcare world, but
the examples below depict sample annual cases of infl uenza in one clinic.
The same data is represented in four formats—a simple table, line graph,
bar graph, and circle graph (or pie chart).
A simple table arranges dates and numbers of infl uenza cases in a clinic
in rows and columns (Figure 10.12). A line graph shows the relationship of
two or more numbers. This graph can also show trends across periods of
time (Figure 10.13). The bar graph shows comparisons among categories
(Figure 10.14). For our purposes, the pie chart in Figure 10.15 presents the
number of infl uenza cases by season.
database
collection of records such
as addresses, phone num-
bers, and other patient
information
Peter Sobolev/Shutterstock.com
Figure 10.11 Spreadsheets are particularly useful for compiling and calculating numeri-
cal data.
Month
Cases of
infl uenza
Jan 55
Feb 50
Mar 45
Apr 35
May 26
Jun 14
Jul 7
Aug 6
Sep 7
Oct 25
Nov 31
Dec 40
Figure 10.12 A simple table