Database with Linked tables

[benny]

I am trying to write a database for medical chart reviews. Each month a
certain number of charts are reviewed for complaince to certain procedures
(i.e. certain abbreviations are not allowed to be used). I have created a
table for each of the categories and elements related to each (such as which
doctor used an unallowed abbreviation and where). I have multiple tables
called Abbreviations, H & P, Critical Results, Invasive Procedures, and
Other. All tables will have the patient's unique identifier number in
common. How can I link all these tables? How can I use one form to populate
them all? What kind of relationships do I need to establish? On my first
attempt, I put all this information in one table but it is hard to make sense
out of and get any useful data for reports on each category. I thought
breaking them up would be the better idea. Would appreciate suggestions
since I am only starting out in Access.

 

[Klatuu]

benny,

First you need to find a book on relational database design and get familiar
with the concepts before you design you tables.

But, for a short discussion on this, group your data by logical entities.
You will need a table for patient demographic information. If your patient
ID is a user assigned value, it should be the table's primary key. Each of
your other tables should have a field to contain the patient's ID. This is
how you relate one table to the other. The Patient ID field in the other
tables is called a foreign key. Then create your relationships using the
primary key and foreign key fields.