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Resources for Understanding Medical Terminology: 

Des Moines University - Free Online Medical Terminology Course    |     National Library of Medicine: Understanding Medical Words Tutorial (online) / (pdf)      |       National Library of Medicine: Understanding Medical Words Reference

 

Information on Digital Health Literacy and My Health Record /  Good Things FoundationConsumer 

Governments, their initiatives and non-profit organisations provide a range of services to support Victorians. Click on topic areas below to find out more about the topics and services available:

Mental Health Services / Eastern Health

Directory of Victorian Mental Health Services / Department of Health, Australian Government

Lifeline (13 11 14): 24/7 Crisis Support and free Toolkits and factsheets

Kids HelpLine (1800 55 1800) for kid (ages 5-12), teen (aged 13-17), young adults (aged 18-25), parents, carers, schools and teachers.

24/7 Suicide Call back Service (1300 659 467)

Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636)

Mental illness Support Groups / Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA)

Personality Disorder Service for Victoria: Treatment Services / Spectrum

QLife (1800 184 569 - from 3pm to midnight) - a peer support counselling and referral service for LGBTI people.

Griefline - provides free counselling support to anyone experiencing grief, loss and the many related feelings that occur as a result.https://griefline.org.au

Head to Health, Department of Health, Australian Government - a digital mental health resources portal.

Bush Fire Support Service / Black Dog Institute - Free mental health support for Emergency Service Workers and their loved ones.

Disaster Resources and Recovering from the Trauma/ Phoenix Australia

Free Mental Health Care for Veterans / Department of Veterans' Affairs, Australian Government

Mobile Apps Resources / Open Arms Veterans' Family Counselling, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Australian Government

General Information and Parents Support Groups

Information ranging from Pregnancy to Preschool and Helpline1800 882 436 / Pregnancy, Birth and Baby authorised by Healthdirect Australia and Department of Health, Australian Government

Melbourne Mums Group / Melbourne Mums Group.com.au

Mental Health Support

Beyond Blue

Perinatal Anxiety and Depression SupportResources Hub and Single Parents Support Service / PANDA

Breastfeeding

Post Pregnancy Information and Services Guide and Lactation Support Unit Contact / Eastern Health

Information on Medicines, Drugs and Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding Services / The Royal Women's Hospital

Information on Alcohol during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding / Better Health Channel

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)? / NOFASD Australia

Equipment Safety

Baby equipment Safety / raisingchildren.net.au

Babies and Kids-related Product Recall Product Safety Australia, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Children with a Physical Disability

Assessments, Early Intervention and Therapies and Financial Support Options / Autism Awareness Australia

Diagnosis and Early Intervention Support / Autism Spectrum Australia 1800 277 328

Information on Early Signs of ASD / raisingchildren.net.au

Family Support for family with child's limb difference / limb4kids

Vaccination information

Catch-up Calculator / Australian Immunisation Handbook, Department of Health, Australian Government

Victorian Immunisation Schedule (0 - 4 yrs of age) / Better Health Channel 

Children Vaccine Safety Data and Pregnant Women Vaccine Safety Data / AusVaxSafety - National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance(NCIRS)

Drugs Safety and Hotlines

Consumer Information & Education / The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian Government Department of Health

Active Ingredient Prescribing / NPS MedicineWise

Featured Health Topics / NPS MedicineWise - Information for consumer and carers to make the best decisions about your medicines and medical tests.

About Adverse Medicine Events Line 1300 134 237 - 8am - 8pm AEDT/AEST / NPS MedicineWise - provides consumers with an avenue for reporting and discussing adverse experiences with medicines.

About Accidental Overdose of Medicine / Healthdirect

About Poisoning and Poisons Information Line 13 11 26 / Healthdirect

Medication Lookup

MedSearch Mobile App / TGA, the Australian Government Department of Health - is designed to help you find, view and save Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) and Product Information (PI)documents for prescription medicines, some non-prescription medicines and some biologicals included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

Medicine Finder / NPS MedicineWise - a platform for searching CMI (Consumer Medical Information) for consumers or PI (Product Information) for health professionals

Treatment Safety and Effectiveness

Clinical Trials: Why are They Important? / NPS MedicineWise

Cochrane Library's Plain Language Summaries(PLS) / Cochrane Library - help people to understand and interpret research findings (from Randomised Control Trials) and are included in all Cochrane Reviews. PLSs are created using standard content, structure and language to ease understanding and translation.

Victorian Health Services Directory and After-hours Health Care Options / Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

NURSE-ON-CALL  24/7 for Victorians 1300 60 60 24 / Ambulance Victoria - a phone service that provides immediate, expert health advice from a registered nurse

Emergency assistance - In an emergency, always call triple zero (000).

Services & Information for Elderly People / Seniors Online Victoria, Australian Department of Health and Human Services

Disability Services for Individuals and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Hub / Scope Australia

Allied Health Services and Support in Victoria (a list of videos) / Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

Community Health Directory / health.vic, Victorian Government

Allied Health professionals for Disability Service Finder / Scope Australia

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) / Department of Home Affairs, Australia Department 131 450 - 24/7 - to help people who do not speak English accessing with immediate telephone interpreter services for communicating with medical and health practitioners, pharmacists and emergency services.

Cue Cards in Community Languages / Eastern Health Language Services - a list of most commonly used words in card format for assist health professionals (Local Government, Acute/ Mental/ Community Health, Residential Care, Dental and Disability Services ) and clients / carers who primarily have English language difficulties, or problems communicating with each other on a daily basis.

National Relay Service, Australia Government - a phone solution for people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment.

CareSearch - a palliative care knowledge network, funded by Australian Department of Health, for parents and carers

About the National Palliative Care Services Directory / Palliative Care Australia

Find a Podiatrist / Australian Podiatry Association

What is Substance Misuse? / Lifeline

Treatment and Support / Turning Point, Eastern Health

Self-assessments on Alcohol Consumption, Gambling, Drug use, Anxiety and Depression / Turning Point, Eastern Health

Drug Facts Search / Alcohol and Drugs Foundation - search drug name, slang and side effects

Drug Help: What Services are There? and the National Drugs and Alcohol Hotline 1800 250 015 / Department of Health, Australian Government

Positive Choices - an online portal to help teachers, schools, students, parents, cultural and linguistically diverse peoples as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples accessing accurate, up-to-date evidence based alcohol and other drug education resources authorised by the Australian Department of Health and The University of Sydney Metida Centre.

Mobile app: The Right Mix app / / Open Arms, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Australian Government - helps to manage alcohol consumption by tracking the number and type of drinks consumed and calculating the amount of money spent.

Family Relationships Support

MensLine Australia - national helpline (24/7 - 1300 78 99 78 - provides information and referral service for men with family and relationship concerns.

Information on Health Living - Relationships / Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

Family Drugs Support Australia - 24/7 helpline 1300 368 186

Family Relationship Counselling Service / Relationship Australia.Victoria

Counselling Package for Families / Department of Veterans' Affairs

Family Violence

Family Family violence support services / Family Safety Victoria

What is Domestic and Family Violence? and Where to Get Help / Lifeline

Relationship Australia Victoria - deliver a range of services via telephone, videoconferencing and online; including counselling, family dispute resolution (mediation) and family violence services

Safety and Violence / Women with disability Australia (WWDA)

Domestic Violence Referral Options / Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria (DVRCV) 

Support Groups / DVRCV

Boorndawan Willam Aboriginal Healing Service is the lead specialist Aboriginal Specific family violence service that provides a service in the Eastern Metropolitan Region that is inclusive of Inner and Outer East.

Elizabeth Morgan House Aboriginal Women's Services - Aboriginal-led peak body for Aboriginal Women and Children in Victoria providing family violence services and advocacy.

The Ochre Program / Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place

Safe Koorie Families / Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency

Food Safety

Food Safety Information for Consumers / health.vic, Victorian Government

Information on Use-by and Best-before Dates / Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

Consumer Health Information about Food Safety and Current Food Recalls / Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)

Food and Groceries-related Product Recalls Updates / Product Safety Australia, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)

How to Keep Dairy Food Safe / Dairy Food Safety Victoria

Mushroom Poisoning / Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

Avoid Food Poisoning - Store Safe / Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

DoFoodSafely / Department of Health Victoria - a free, non-accredited, online learning program designed for enabling people to understand how to safely work with, and handle, food in commercial settings.

What is Genetical Modified (GM) Foods? and More Details / FSANZ

What is Organic Food? and Organic Food Producer Directory / Australia Organic Food Directory

Healthy Eating and Support

General Information on Healthy Eating and Diets / Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

BMI Calculator / healthdirect

Dietitian or Nutritionist? / Dietitians Australia

Information on Eating Disorders and Helpline 1300 550 236 / Eating Disorders Victoria

Eating Disorders or Body Image Issues Treatment and National Helpline 1800 33 4673 - 8am to midnight (AEST), 7 days a week or Chat Online / The Butterfly Foundation

Health Literacy

Top Tips for Safe Health Care and Health Literacy / Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Accessing My Health Record

How to Access My Health Record and Help Line 1800 723 471 / My Health Record, Australia Digital Health Agency, Australian Government

Information in Languages other than English about My Health Record / My Health Record, Australia Digital Health Agency, Australian Government

Health Consumers' Voice Advocators

Patient Opinion is an independent site about your experiences of Australian health services, good or bad. They pass your stories to the right people to make a difference.

The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) is the national peak body representing the interests of Australian healthcare consumers. CHF works to achieve safe, quality, timely healthcare for all Australians, supported by accessible health information and systems.

MyValues is a set of specially constructed statements designed to help you identify, consider and communicate your wishes about the medical treatment you would want in the later stages of life.

Health Issues Centre (HIC) is a peak consumer health advocacy NGO in Australia listening to the voices and experiences of everyday people to help shape policy decisions and service delivery in the health system.

Healthtalk Australia is a member of DIPEx International, a network of academic researchers in 13 countries around the world who produce digital health resources based on rigorous research into experiences of major illness and health-related conditions from the perspective of patients and family members.

Australia / Victoria-focused Main Trustworthy Websites

Better Health Channel is funded by the Victorian State Government. Search for conditions and treatments, services and supports and healthy living tips. 

healthdirect is funded by The Australian Department of Health and State Governments. Search for conditions and treatments, services and supports and healthy living tips. The free healthdirect Australia app is available by searching for healthdirect in your app store. 

health.vic provides health services information and a platforms for finding health services.

Victorian Health Information website, is managed by Public Affairs Unit of the State Government Department of Health, Victoria, Australia, releases news about Victorian Health Services. 

The Choosing Wisely Australia initiative is helping the healthcare community and consumers to start important conversations about unnecessary and sometimes harmful tests, treatments and procedures.

NPS MedicineWise provides information to help consumer make the best decisions about medicines and medical tests.

Royal Children's Hospital fact sheets have been developed for parents and adolescents, and cover pertinent topics about medical conditions and the services available at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet makes comprehensive, up-to-date information accessible to people interested in the health of Indigenous Australians.

The Health Translations provides reliable health information translated into other languages. 

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