General

Unless it is for a clear reason, do not leave applicable fields empty otherwise a query will be issued to ascertain whether information was unknown or simply missing.
Where information is not known, tick the checkbox 'unknown'. For example if a test was not performed or a response or toxicity not assessed or the patient source data are incomplete, do not leave the relevant field(s) empty but tick them as "unknown".

 In case the value reported is out of the range defined in the database, a warning message will appear. You can correct the value or force the answer by clicking on the button 'Force value'.

Text fields

Text fields have to be completed in ENGLISH

Dates

All dates should be reported in dd mmm yyyy format e.g. 12 Feb 2013 (day, month and year are a seperate box and a dropdown list appears when you type in the field). If the date is not available, tick the checkbox 'unknown'.

It is not possible to enter partial dates. If the day (and month) is not available, tick the checkbox 'unknown' and put the field number and the available info in the comment fields at the bottom of the form.

Numeric fields

Depending on the laboratory of your institution, some parameters can be expressed in different units: e.g. Hemoglobin can be expressed in "mmol/l" or "g/dl". Choose the field corresponding to the unit used by your laboratory and leave the other field empty (no need to flag it UNKNOWN).

• If your laboratory uses other units, make the easiest conversion: e.g. "g/l" to "g/dl".
• If your laboratory provides results in both units, select and document one unit only, but consistently.

Never report values in a different unit than the one(s) provided on the VISTA-RDC form!
Warning messages will inform you if the wrong format has been used, informing you about the expected format.

Numbers with decimals

• Only use the number of spaces foreseen in each data field. When excess precision in numbers with decimals is observed, adjust the number according to the following rounding rules (ref: NIST Guide to SI Units):

For rounding xxx,abc where a, b, c, x are figures

• • If (c < 5), xxx,abc is rounded into xxx,ab: example: 7,124 → 7,12
  • If (c ≥5), xxx,abc is rounded into xxx,a(b+1):example: 7,128 → 7,13

• If some decimals are not filled in, it will automatically filled in with 0 by the system after saving. example: 46,-- → 46,00