The Register provides information to help protect people in at-risk groups from contracting Q fever. The Register is therefore designed to be available to organisations working with people in these at-risk groups. The main organisations requiring access to the Register are meat processors and medical practices that provide screening and vaccination services to people at risk of exposure to Q fever. Other organisations may be provided access if required, for example state government health departments who directly provide screening and vaccination services.
In order for an organisation to access the Register, it must complete the Application for Access to the Register form and mail it to the Register. All parts of this form must be completed. The form should be signed by a person who has been authorised by the organisation's board of directors to sign on their behalf. The Terms and Conditions of access to the Register are attached to the form, and these should be read before signing. The terms and conditions aim to;
When the Application is received and approved, it gives the organisation the right to access the Register. However, an organisation must also nominate one or more individuals within the organisation to use the Register on behalf of the organisation. The Application for Access to the Register should therefore be accompanied by one or more User Registration forms, as described below.
An organisation must nominate one or more Users who will access the Register. For a meat processor, a User will normally be a person who is responsible for occupational health and safety at the site (eg, an OH&S nurse). In a medical practice, a User may be a doctor, nurse or administrative staff. An organisation may nominate more than one User, so that when one person is not present, another will still be able to access the Register. However, except at large sites, there should be no more than two or three Users.
Each of the individuals within an organisation nominated as a User must complete a User Registration form. This form includes a Secret Question and Answer. Select one of the questions and write the answer in the space provided. This will be used to identify the user during telephone queries.
If the site has Internet access, the User should request a username to be used when logging on to the Register Web site. Users should read the Terms and Conditions of access to the Register before signing the form.
Once completed the User Registration form(s) should be sent along with the Application for Access to the Register.
In order to access the Register on the Internet you will need:
The default configuration of the browser software is normally adequate to access the Register. This means you just need to install the program, run it, and you are ready to use the Register. Two settings are important when using the Register, but these won't normally need to be changed - Javascript and Cookies.
If you receive a message when using the Register, indicating that either Javascript or Cookies are not enabled on your computer, you may need to adjust your browser's settings. Follow the steps below for your browser:
Certain computer network systems can make accessing the Internet difficult. The Register is designed to work with most existing systems, but some may cause problems. Because of the variety and complexity of local area networks (LANs) in use, you should contact your local system administrators for help if you are having problems accessing or using the Register from a LAN. The Q Fever Help-Line can offer general advice, but expert knowledge of your local system may be needed.
To log on to the Web site, first start your browser software and make sure that you are connected to the Internet. Then type the Web address of the Register into the 'location' bar: http://www.qfever.org
The Australian Q Fever Register Web site home page will load. To access the Register, chose the Access Register link from the menu on the left of the screen.
A new browser window will open, displaying the log in page.
Troubleshooting: If a new window doesn't open, but you see a warning message about Javascript, it means that your browser doesn't have Javascript enabled. See the instructions in the previous section for information on how to enable Javascript in your browser.
Tip: You can make accessing the Register faster by saving this address as a bookmark in your browser, or by creating a shortcut to the site on your desktop.
On the log in page, read the Important Notice, then type in your username, and your password. Click on the Enter button.
If you see a page with an error message about Cookies, it means that your browser doesn't have cookies enabled. See the instructions in the previous section for information on how to enable cookies in your browser.
Your password is the key to the security of the Register. If you forget your password, you can't access the site. If another person has access to your password, they can log on to the site (impersonating you) and possibly misuse the information held on the Register.
Tips about passwords
You should change your password to one that you choose yourself the first time you log on to the system. Once changed, nobody (even Register staff) can find out your password unless you tell someone or write it down.
You should also change your password once ever six months, in case somebody has discovered what it is.
To change your password, select Change Password from the main menu. Type your new password twice, and click OK.
If you forget your password, ring the Register Help-Line. Once you have identified yourself (you will be asked your secret question), the staff will reset your password to a new value. You should then log on and change it to a new password that you choose yourself.
Whenever you finish using the Register, you should log off. This stops other people from accessing the Register from your computer. Select Logout from the main menu. The Register window will close, and another will open indicating that you have been logged off the Register. To access the Register again, you will need you re-type your username and password.
If you close the browser window while using the Register without logging off, you will be logged off automatically.
The Register is designed to be accessed using the Internet, and all users are strongly encouraged to use this method of access. You can also access the Register by phone or by mail, if you do not have Internet access. You can find out about a person's status by phoning the Register Help-Line. You can submit data to the Register by mailing or faxing it to the Register.
Important note: Using the Internet, most operations of the Register are automated, making it fast and inexpensive to operate. Telephone and mail access put an increased load on staff, making the system more expensive. Users are therefore strongly encouraged to access the Register using the Internet wherever possible. The Register offers no guarantee that telephone and mail access will be provided indefinitely, and heavy staff workloads may mean that running costs have to be passed on to users in the future.