How can PHP developers improve the readability and efficiency of their code when working with databases?

PHP developers can improve the readability and efficiency of their code when working with databases by using prepared statements instead of directly concatenating user input into SQL queries. Prepared statements help prevent SQL injection attacks and make the code more maintainable. Additionally, developers can use functions like mysqli_fetch_assoc() to fetch results from the database in an associative array format, making it easier to work with the data.

// Using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("s", $username);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    // Process data
}
$stmt->close();