Frequently Asked Questions
If you are accessing CIAP from work you do not need a username and password.
If you want to access CIAP from home or from a mobile device not connected to the NSW Health network, you will need to register for a My CIAP Account. You can ONLY register from a computer that is within the NSW Health computer network.
You will receive an activation email to all email addresses that you have entered in the registration form. You will be required to click on the link located in one of the emails to activate your My CIAP Account within 48 hours of submitting your registration details.
If you forget your username please click on Forgot Username found on the My CIAP Account page or in the footer of any page on the CIAP website.
If you forget your password please click on Forgot Password found on the My CIAP Account page or in the footer of any page on the CIAP website.
A My CIAP Account is required if you want to access CIAP from a non NSW Health computer network such as at home or via a mobile device.
Click on Register for My CIAP Account found on the My CIAP Account page or in the footer of any page on the CIAP website.
You will be sent an activation email to all email addresses that you have entered in the registration form. You will be required to click on the link located in one of the emails to activate your registration. It is not necessary to activate your ‘My CIAP Account’ from both emails.
Yes, you must click on the activation link contained in the confirmation email within 48 hours of registering. If this is not done within this time frame you will be required to register again.
Both the username and password must have at least 8 characters. There is no upper limit. The password is case sensitive.
No, but you will be required to enter your area code for land line numbers.
If you are attempting to register from a non-NSW Health computer network or from home you will not be able to access the form. You can ONLY register from a computer that is within a NSW Health computer network. If you have any problems please contact CIAP.
If you need to update your registration details please click on Update/Renew My CIAP Account found on the My CIAP Account page or in the footer of any page on the CIAP website.
The registration will require renewing after 12 months. Students will be required to renew every 3 months. All users will be notified by email when renewal is due.
CIAP is available to all staff employed within the NSW public health system. If you are a student on clinical placement in any public health facility within NSW, you are authorised to access CIAP during that placement only. You can access CIAP via any hospital ward computer or Local Health District library while at work and can register for a ‘My CIAP Account’ for home access while on placement.
If you are a student and you are also employed by the NSW public health system (e.g. as an Assistant in Nursing), you are entitled to access CIAP.
For further details please contact CIAP.
Note that CIAP access is not permitted for general undergraduate students.
Due to licensing agreements with publishers, CIAP is only available to individuals currently employed within the NSW public health system.
Other Australian States provide access to clinical information resources for health workers within their own public health systems. See their Clinical Information Portal websites.
The Bolam principle (1957) protected doctors against negligence claims if other colleagues would have acted in the same manner. The Bolam principle was overturned in an Australian court in 1995 and according to Coiera (1997) * it is likely that this will happen in other countries where it applies. It seems that this has already happened in Israel.
In 1998, an Israeli court issued a verdict that a doctor, who does not update his medical knowledge using professional literature, is liable for malpractice. It seems that a certain eminent brain surgeon established that his client was suffering from a brain tumour, while she was really suffering from a very rare kind of multiple sclerosis. The professor was not aware that such a disease even existed.
There is no doubt that patients are better informed these days as they have access to numerous information sources via the Internet (free Medline as well as non-accredited sources). A well-informed patient population and overworked clinicians with poor access to the literature is a recipe for increasing litigation. This should be a good incentive to ensure that we do provide the most recent literature at the most convenient location for clinicians in all care settings.
* Coeira, E. (1997) Guide To Medical Informatics, The Internet and Telemedicine, Chapman & Hall Medical.