Help

Using Quick Search
Using Main Categories
Using the A - Z Health Topics
Right-hand Navigation - Educational Topics

About RSS feeds and how to use them

Personalisation Options
Security
Privacy
Sensitive Information
Printing

Which Browser?

HealthInsite works with all common browsers, but performs best with Version 6 or higher of Internet Explorer or Version 2 or higher of Firefox.

Most of the information provided through HealthInsite is sourced from carefully selected external websites. Whenever such a page is presented it is displayed in a separate browser window, to help you to maintain contact with HealthInsite while you access the information on our information partners' websites.

Finding information

HealthInsite provides several methods to help you quickly find and access quality health information.

Using Quick Search

You may like to do search by typing your query into the yellow Quick Search bar located near the top of your screen. This will collect all the resources and topics in the database that relate to your search term. There is also an Advanced Search option. See Search Tips for more information on how to do different types of searches.

Using Main Categories

You may like to find information using the categories listed in the blue navigation block on the left side of every HealthInsite page to give you fast and easy access to HealthInsite topics. The categories are:

Conditions and Diseases which includes topics such as asthma, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, depression.
Health and Wellbeing which includes topics such as fitness, nutrition, drugs, preventing suicide, health insurance, women's health, living with a disability.
Life Stages and Events which includes topics such as menopause, pregnancy, ageing, going into hospital.
Health Services which links to State/Territory Health Services and other services.

Using the A - Z Health Topics

A - Z Health Topics (also located in the blue navigation block on the left side of every HealthInsite page) is a complete list of all HealthInsite topic pages and their subtopics. This is a good way to see the broad range of topics that HealthInsite covers and how topics and subtopics are related. For example, the Allergies and Hypersensitivities Topic Page links to several different subtopics or 'child' pages including the Asthma Topic Page.

Right Hand Navigation - Educational Topics

A range of other topics are available from the yellow navigation block on the right hand side of the home page. These topics include educational information which can help you to understand and find your way through health information and the health care system. The topics listed on the home page will change from time to time, but the full range of topics will always be available from A - Z Health Topics and will appear in relevant searches.

About RSS feeds and how to use them

An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. By subscribing to an RSS feed, users are notified of updates to a website. A feed will deliver a brief summary of each update and a link to the updated area of the website. The HealthInsite RSS feed provides a list of latest HealthInsite news items and hot headlines.

Some Internet browsers (such as Firefox, Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer 7) and email programs (such as Outlook) automatically check for feeds on websites and display the RSS feed icon when they find one. If you are using one of these browsers or email programs. The RSS feeds are stored by the browser in your favourites or bookmarks. you do not need to download an RSS reader

If you are using a browser that does not have the facility to automatically display an RSS feed, you will need to download an RSS reader (also called a feed reader or news aggregator). The RSS reader continually checks the RSS feed that you have subscribed to. There are many readers available to use on different computer platforms, including many which are free to download. You will find a list of RSS feed readers at RSS Info or DMOZ Open Directory Project.

To subscribe to an RSS feed you need to paste the URL of the feed into your feed reader. One way to do this is to right click on the orange RSS icon and select "copy shortcut" or "copy link location" and paste it into the appropriate place in your RSS reader.

Personalising this site

You may choose to create a personal profile with HealthInsite, enabling you to save your favourite topics to your personal navigation bar, receive emails when new items are added to your saved topic pages, and have a personal 'area of interest' search created to help you find information on your own topic.

After you have created a personal profile, if you log on to HealthInsite, your personal navigation bar will appear on the right with your saved links and all HealthInsite pages will have a 'save to my profile' button so you can save more pages to your profile.

Following links to HealthInsite information partners'websites

The information you can find through HealthInsite is provided by our approved information partners on their own websites. Whenever you click on a link to one of our partners' information items, you will be shown a 'transition' page that warns you that you are about to leave HealthInsite to go to one of our partners' sites. You will also be given the choice of either opening the partners' page in the same browser window or a new window or returning to the search results list of topic page. After you have seen the information item on one of our partners' sites you can return to HealthInsite by either clicking on the 'back' button or closing the second browser window, depending on which option you chose when leaving HealthInsite.

Security

Security is provided for your personal profile through your Username and Password combination. Any information collected as part of your personal profile will be used only for the purposes of HealthInsite's personalisation functions, and will not be used for any other purpose or passed to any other organisation.

You can find more details about security in the 'Security' section of the HealthInsite Disclaimer

Privacy

HealthInsite does not seek personally identifying information and has been designed to maintain user anonymity. Continuity from one session to the next is provided by your Username if you have created apersonal profile. No persistent trace of your use of HealthInsite is stored on your PC (though a short-duration cookie may be used to monitor your logon status while you are using the site).

To HealthInsite you are only identifiable as your Username if you have created a personal profile. We do not wish to identify you as an individual other than to be able to recognise your Username when you return and logon to the site.

You should always Logoff HealthInsite before finishing your browser session, to ensure all trace of your HealthInsite identity is deleted from your own PC.

HealthInsite is designed to comply with all relevant privacy protection legislation. User information is collected by HealthInsite only in aggregate form for performance monitoring and site usage analysis. No identifying information is collected or stored about individual users.

If you subscribe to the Newsletter, HealthInsite records your nominated email address but we will not use it for any purpose other than to send the Newsletter. The Newsletter is also available on HealthInsite for those who do not wish to provide an email address.

You can find more information on privacy issues in the HealthInsite Privacy Statement

Sensitive Information

Sensitive information in HealthInsite is limited to records of the pages visited. Such information is de-identified before processing for statistical analysis.

Be sure to Logoff when you finish your HealthInsite session. It is also a good idea to close your Web browser to remove all trace of pages visited during your HealthInsite session.

If you want to be sure of protecting confidentiality of your visits, make sure you switch off the history function within your Web browser.

Printing

To print HealthInsite pages, click on your browser's "print" button. this will print everything that you see on your screen.

If you prefer to print in black and white only, click on "Print" in the File menu, and then select Properties. Depending on your printer's setup, you should be able to select "black only" or "black and white". Then click on OK, and OK again to print the page.

HealthInsite also allows you to print a 'printer friendly' version by clicking on 'Printer Friendly Page' which appears just above the list of resources on each topic page. This will print the content of the page without the side navigation blocks.

Updated November 2009

Printer friendly page