Which data element category is represented by demographic data?

• A. Age
• B. Time of event
• C. Laboratory data
• D. Treatment notes

Answer: (A)

Demographic data are patient characteristics used to identify and describe who the patient is, such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, and address. Age is a fundamental example of this category because it describes a person rather than a medical event, test result, or care narrative. Time of event represents temporal information about when something happened, which is not demographic. Laboratory data are objective clinical measurements from tests, and treatment notes are narrative clinical documentation about care. Therefore, age best fits the demographic data category.