Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) - Documentation

Jump To Topics Under "VistA"              Description        Location        Access        Documentation        Help

Documentation

• Documentation for current VistA applications , written for the benefit of users (i.e., clinicians and systems managers) is available online at the VistA Documentation Library.
  
  
• VistA uses standard coding for much of its data, including ICD-9, CPT, DSM-III, LOINC, and other universal and standards-based coding methodologies. For information regarding code sets commonly used by VistA, consult the VA MetaData Registry on the VA Intranet.
  
  
• The VIReC Insights: Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) as a Research Tool describes the strengths and some very important limitations to the use of VistA data for research.
  
  
• The first guide for research users of electronic VHA databases, the Department of Veterans Affairs Databases Resources Guide, was a five-volume set produced by Martha Beattie, Ph.D., Ralph W. Swindle, Ph.D., Lynn A. Tomko, B.A. and other authors.
  
  
• Screen-by-screen instructions for using the Care Management query tool are available online in the CPRS QUERY USER MANUAL .
  
  
• A detailed historical overview of VistA is "VistA-U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs national-scale HIS" by S.H. Brown, M.J. Lincoln, P.J. Groen, and R.M. Kolodner, Int J Med Inf. 2003 Mar;69(2-3):135-56 ( PMID 12810119 ).