Using VINCI for Suicide Research Joe Huggins MSW MSCIS, VISN 19 MIRECC

Using VINCI for Suicide Research Joe Huggins MSW MSCIS, VISN 19 MIRECC

Abstract

The VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI) is a new tool for researchers within the VA. The mission of VINCI is to improve the healthcare of Veterans by providing researchers access to integrated national datasets and tools for analysis in a secure, high-performance computing environment.  The advantage for researchers using VINCI is two-fold. First, the access to national level data that is more accessible for the common researchers. The data is presented after a sensible dialog with a VINCI data manager in a format that does not require higher level statistical coding (though these tools are readily available). Gone are the days of accessing a mainframe, writing lines of SAS code, correcting errors in the code because of some obscure missing character. VINCI makes data readily available and usable. The second advantage to VINCI is the access to tools necessary for analyzing and mining the data. Researchers are well aware the difficulty purchasing new software. VINCI makes the software available within a secure and reliable virtual workspace. There remain limitations, much have to do with the creation of a new process whose kinks still need to be worked out. A major one for VA/DoD researchers to overcome will remain collaboration outside the VA network.  This poster will provide a demonstration of how VINCI has been used for a project at the VISN 19 MIRECC related to service utilization for the year prior to death by suicide.

This presentation is based on work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the VISN 19 MIRECC.Acknowledgement of VA Research Support. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development. I would also like to thank Donald “Gordy” Gordon, Program Analyst, VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Canandaigua, NY for his work on the SDV Decision Tree Algorithm.

VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI)

The mission of VINCI is to improve the healthcare of Veterans by providing researchers access to integrated national datasets and tools for analysis in a secure, high-performance computing environment.

The vision of VINCI is to become VA researchers’ preferred data source and data-processing environment.Transformation for the 21st Century Initiative #13Brings together data sources Provides the analytical environment for performing studies

tasks like analysis, data processing, and extracting information from text

Partnership betweenThe Office of Information Technology (OI&T) and The VHA Office of Research and Development (VHA ORD)

VINCI Option 1: Collaboration Only

VINCI Option 2: Access to Data

DART: Permission to Access DataDART process:

Completed online

Tracked online

Allows for feedback & questions

Still allow a significant amount of time

VINCI SoftwareOver 50

commercial, government, open-source, and custom software applications.

SAS®, SQL Server, R, STATA®, and SAS® Text Miner.

VINCI SupportExcellent user

guides

User FAQs

Discussion forum

Web-based training

VINCI “Happy Hour” call-in

VINCI DataAfter DART Approval VINCI

Data Manager works with researcher to retrieve data

Data can be retrieved from:

CDW

DSS

Med SAS

Vital Stats

Retrieved and put into SQL Server

Easy to get data from tables and paste into MS Excel/Access of any of the other statistical programs

VINCI Data Upload/DownloadLocal data easily uploaded through secure link

Upload data:

To use VINCI software tools

Use collaborative work area

Use to match with national data

VINCI File Transfer program for data download

No PHI can be downloaded from VINCI