Assignment: Development of an ER Diagram and Database Implementation

Aim: To give you practical experience in using Entity-Relationship and Relational Database modelling techniques.

Project Specification

Dr Zen Fuller is a chiropractor practicing in Churchill. He started his practice in 2010, offering a variety of services including various types of adjustments, massages and health advices. Due to Zen's professionalism in offering effective and necessary treatments to his patients, his practice has grown substantially over the past few years. To continue providing high quality services to his patients, Zen has decided to upgrade his current computer system, which is used for tracking the treatments for his patients and also other activities in his practice.

At the moment, when a patient turns up for a scheduled appointment, his/her information are retrieved using the patient's name. If this is the patient's first appointment, the clerk will request the patient to fill up his/her personal information (i.e. name, address, contact number and drug allergies) on a patient information form. A unique patient number will then be allocated to the patient. If this is not the patient's first appointment, the clerk will check with the patient if there is any change in his/her personal details and if he/she is covered by any health insurance. All Australia citizens/permanent residents are covered by a public health insurance while private health insurance is optional.

When Zen sees the patient, he first records the actual start time of the consultation. After diagnosing the patient's problem, Zen treats the patient with the appropriate service(s). If required, Zen will also recommend some nutrition products to the patient. If the patient is interested in purchasing these products from Zen's clinic, the quantity of each product is specified. If the patient is not interested, Zen will indicate the quantity as ‘zero'. At the end of the consultation, all information on the diagnosis, treatment and products recommended to the patient are recorded. The time, which the consultation is completed, is also recorded. The patient is then directed to the clerk for payment.

The net amount to be paid by the patient is calculated based on the total price of the services/products acquired by the patient during the consultation, less the rebates on these services/products given by the health insurances of the patient. Figure 1 shows a report detailing the information of a patient's consultation.

You are required to design (using an E-R diagram) an entity-relationship model of the problem, convert the model into a relational model, and assess the normal form of each schema.