How is data integrity maintained when treatment data changes?

• A. Through the audit trail
• B. Through the audit trail and version history that records all modifications
• C. By re-entering data manually
• D. By archiving old versions

Answer: (B)

Maintaining data integrity when treatment data changes relies on capturing both what was changed and what the data looked like before and after. The audit trail records every modification—who made it, when, and what was altered—providing a clear, accountable log of actions. Version history goes a step further by preserving each saved state of the data, so you can compare versions and, if needed, revert to a previous state with confidence. Together, they create a complete, traceable record of data evolution, which is essential for integrity and reconciliation in patient treatment records.

Re-entering data manually lacks automatic tracking and is prone to errors, and archiving old versions alone preserves past data without the ongoing activity log or easy rollback capability. So the combination of audit trail and version history offers the strongest protection for data integrity during changes.