A healthcare data analyst wants to analyze patient data using a primary key. What is an appropriate primary key for this application?

Patient height is not a reliable primary key because it can be shared among multiple individuals. Many patients may have the same height, which would lead to ambiguity in identifying unique records. Therefore, it fails to meet the criteria of uniqueness required for a primary key.

Similar to height, patient age is not unique to individuals. Multiple patients can share the same age, particularly in age brackets. This lack of uniqueness makes patient age an unsuitable candidate for a primary key, as it would not effectively distinguish between different patient records.

While the doctor identification number may be unique to each doctor, it does not serve as an appropriate primary key for patient data analysis. The focus of the analysis is on patient records, and using a doctor’s ID would not provide the necessary linkage to individual patient data, thus not fulfilling the requirement of a primary key in this context.