Obtaining the dataset

In this section, we will provide step-by-step instructions for obtaining the data and its associated documentation.

The NHAMCS dataset at a glance

The dataset we have chosen for this book is part of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) public use data. It is survey data published and maintained by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The home page for this data set is https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd/ahcd_questionnaires.htm.

• The NHAMCS data is survey-based data; it is populated by surveys sent to patients and healthcare providers that were seen in the hospital for encounters.
• The data files are in fixed-width format. In other words, they are text files in which...