Accession number is grouped under which abstracting section?

• A. Patient Identification
• B. Cancer Identification
• C. Stage of Disease at Diagnosis
• D. First Course of Treatment

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how identifiers that uniquely recognize a patient and their records are categorized in data abstraction. An accession number is a unique code assigned to a patient’s specimen or chart within the hospital’s systems, and it is used to pull together all data about that case from different sources. Because its primary role is to identify and link the patient’s record across departments, it fits with Patient Identification. It isn’t describing the cancer itself, its stage, or the treatment given, which is why those sections are not appropriate for this item.