Extract Ward Code from Patient ID
I need to extract the first 3 characters from the 'Patient_ID' (e.g. PED-001) to identify the department. This helps in quickly sorting patients by ward for daily rounds or administrative tasks.
=LEFT(A2,3) How it works: The LEFT function in Excel extracts a specified number of characters from the beginning (left side) of a text string. In this formula, `A2` refers to the cell containing the 'Patient_ID' (e.g., 'PED-001'), and `3` specifies that you want to extract the first three characters from that ID. This effectively isolates the ward code from the rest of the patient identifier.
Data Setup
| Patient_ID | Patient_Name |
|---|---|
| PED-001 | Alice Smith |
| CAR-015 | Bob Johnson |
| ICU-230 | Charlie Brown |
| OBS-007 | Diana Prince |
| ER-050 | Eve Adams |
Step-by-Step Guide
Open your Excel spreadsheet containing the patient data.
Select the cell where you want the extracted ward code to appear (e.g., cell B2, assuming 'Patient_ID' is in column A starting from A2).
Type the formula: `=LEFT(A2,3)`.
Press Enter to apply the formula. The ward code (e.g., 'PED') will appear in cell B2.
Click on cell B2 again, then drag the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right corner of the cell) down to apply the formula to the rest of your patient IDs.