documentation /dok′yəmentā″shən/ [L, documentum, proof] , 1. a written or electronic record of the health care provided to a patient. The specific requirements and format vary by profession, institution, and payer. See also charting. 2. written material associated with a computer or a program. Kinds of documentation include user documentation, an instruction manual that provides enough information to allow an individual to use the system; system documentation, a complete description of the hardware and software that make up a system; and program documentation, a description of what a program does and how it does it.
