Terms of Use

Terms of Use (for OpenAthens and the support website)

Last updated: 1 July 2026

1. About CHC services

The Clinicians Health Channel (CHC) provides Victorian clinicians and authorised users with access to licensed clinical information resources, journals, databases and publications, and supporting discovery search (EBSCO Discovery Service) and remote access (OpenAthens) tools, and information via the CHC website. Access is provided to support clinical practice, education and research.

2. Eligibility and authorised use

  1. You must be an authorised user to access CHC services. This includes clinicians, healthcare professionals, students and other approved workforce members.
  2. You must provide accurate and current information when registering for a CHC OpenAthens account, keep your account details up to date, and notify the CHC Help Desk chchelpdesk@ebsco.com if you are no longer eligible.
  3. Your CHC OpenAthens account is for your individual use only and must not be shared.

3. Acceptable use

  1. You must use CHC services for professional, clinical, education or research purposes only, in accordance with applicable laws and relevant workplace policies, and in line with licence conditions set by content providers.
  2. You must not share login details, allow unauthorised access, use CHC services for commercial purposes, or misuse or disrupt systems.

4. Use of licensed resources

  1. CHC provides access to third-party content from various publishers under licence agreements.
  2. You must comply with all licence conditions. You must not download large amounts of content in a systematic or automated way, share or distribute licensed material beyond permitted use, or use content in a way that breaches licence agreements.
  3. Failure to comply may result in suspension or cancellation of your account and loss of access for your organisation.

5. Copyright

  1. The CHC website and all content are protected by copyright.
  2. Materials made available through CHC’s services are owned by CHC or third-party providers.
  3. You may download or print reasonable portions for personal professional use.
  4. You must not reproduce, distribute or publish content beyond what is permitted, infringe copyright of CHC or third-party publishers, or use content for commercial purposes without permission.

6. Accounts and security

  1. You are responsible for:
    • Keeping your login credentials secure
    • All activities carried out using your account
  2. You must notify CHC if you become aware of any unauthorised access.

7. Registration and renewal

  1. CHC may require periodic renewal of accounts to meet publisher requirements.
  2. You may be contacted to confirm your eligibility.
  3. Accounts may be suspended or closed if:
    • you are no longer eligible
    • you do not respond to renewal requests

8. Communications and consent

  1. When registering, you may choose to opt in to a closed mailing list for newsletters on CHC resources, training, and news updates.
  2. If you opt in, your information will not be used for any other purpose or passed to third parties unless required by law.
  3. If you opt in, you can opt out at any time using the unsubscribe link in emails.
  4. CHC may still send important service messages related to your OpenAthens account.

9. Privacy

  1. CHC is committed to protecting your personal information.
  2. The CHC website and services use third-party providers including:
    • EBSCO (content platform)
    • OpenAthens (authentication service)
  3. By registering, you acknowledge that:
    • your information will be used to manage your account and provide access
    • limited information may be shared with service providers
    • usage information may be collected for reporting and service improvement
  4. Relevant privacy policies apply:

10. Information and clinical use

  1. CHC provides access to information to support clinical practice.
  2. Information available through CHC:
    • is general in nature
    • may not be complete or current
    • does not replace professional judgement, advice or local policies
  3. You are responsible for how you use the information.

11. Disclaimer

  1. CHC’s services are provided on an “as is” basis.
  2. While reasonable efforts are made to ensure accuracy:
    • CHC does not guarantee that information is complete, accurate or current
    • CHC does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access
  3. CHC is not responsible for:
    • the content of third-party resources
    • reliance on information provided through CHC

12. Limitation of liability

  1. To the extent permitted by law, CHC excludes liability for:
    • loss or damage arising from use of CHC’s services
    • reliance on information accessed through CHC
    • service interruptions or technical issues
    • third-party content
  2. Where liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the extent permitted by law.

13. Suspension or termination

CHC may suspend or terminate your access if:

  • You breach these Terms.
  • Required by licence agreements.
  • You are no longer an authorised user.

14. Changes to these Terms

CHC may update these Terms at any time. Updated Terms will be published on this website. Continued use of CHC’s services constitutes acceptance of any changes.

15. Contact

For enquiries or support, contact: chchelpdesk@ebsco.com

16. Acknowledgement

By registering for a CHC OpenAthens account or using this website you confirm that you have read and understood these Terms of Use and agree to comply with them.