You are accessing help! It may mean you are having difficulty finding what you need or you are simply interested in knowing more about how to use this database. In this section, you will find information on the structure of the content, basic searching, advanced searching, and additional features that can be found on the search interface. If you need to speak to someone, the SHA library staff will be happy to help. Call 306-766-4142 or email library@saskhealthauthority.ca.
Videos
DOCUMENT FINDER
The DOCUMENT FINDER will include Saskatchewan Health Authority policy directives, policies and former regional health authority policies that have not been repealed by an SHA policy. Former regional health authority policies will be added by individual region. It will also include additional clinical standards documents in the future.
Document Types
Document Type describes the content of a document so you can tell if it is a policy or form or procedure. Document Type is handled differently for SHA policies and former RHA policies. The following chart helps to outline the differences:
| Document Type | SHA Treatment | Former RHA Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Form | refers to a Clinical Standards document | n/a |
| Clinical Procedure | refers to a Clinical Standards document | n/a |
| Clinical Standard | refers to a Clinical Standards document | n/a |
| Form | A separate file that can be easily printed or is PDF fillable. The content of the form may also be included in the policy or procedure document but will not be a PDF fillable form. |
Most forms are included with the former region policy or procedure and are only separate files if that former region had created the documents in that way. There are no PDF fillable forms. |
| Other | A document that cannot be described by the standard Document Types such as ‘policy' or ‘procedure'. Document Types across the former RHAs have not been standardized and therefore the term other is used for additional files that are not a policy, form or procedure. |
|
| Policy | A separate file that may contain several appendices related to that policy. Links to related documents such as the procedures pursuant to that policy, the forms, and other related documents created in separate files for ease of use. |
The policy file as created and received from the former RHA. It may include procedures, forms and appendices which are not created as separate files in the Document Finder. |
| Policy Directive | An SHA document created when the SHA first formed. Policy Directives will eventually be incorporated into SHA Policies and the Document Type will no longer exist | n/a |
| Procedure | A separate document pursuant to the relevant policy. | A separate document if the former region created the procedure in that way. Otherwise, the procedure will be included in the related policy document. |
| Work Standard Summary | Indexed with Work Standard Summary but is included in the related policy or procedure document. | Indexed with Work Standard Summary but the Work Standard may be included in the related policy document. |
Document Formats
Document Format contains four possible options:
| Document Format | SHA Treatment | Former RHA Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Fillable PDF | A separate file that can be completed using the computer. You must save locally when completed if you need a copy. |
n/a |
| Most documents are created in PDF format. | ||
| Video | A video link is included in the Document Finder record to provide more information. | n/a |
| Word | Clinical Standards document that may need to be edited locally by appropriate staff. | n/a |
Forms
A special note about forms: The forms included in the Document Finder database are those forms connected to the policy or procedure within the Document Finder database. The database does not include all different types of forms created throughout the SHA. A form may also be included in a complete policy document but will also have a separate record for ease of use for that form.
Fillable PDF forms are available for SHA documents only.
Videos
Explanatory videos are created for each new SHA policy. A link to the video is included in the record. You can find the videos by choosing Video under Document Format after you search. Or, under Advance Search and Browse located under the main search page, there is a check box to limit your search to records with video only.
Using a Policy
The best way to use a document from the Document Finder is to use a persistent link to the record. If you need to send your staff a copy of a policy or if you have an intranet page where you need to include a link to a form, do not download and copy the PDF document. Use a persistent link!
If you need to have a copy locally, you MUST use a persistent link to the Document Finder record or to the PDF within the Document Finder database.
Persistent Links
Many of the links from the Document Finder are Persistent Links. That means that when you place that url (link) in an email, a document, or an intranet page, it will behave like you are in the Document Finder.
Link to a PDF document:
- Search for the policy using MEDICATION RECONCILIATION in the search box.
- Click on the title of the policy. The PDF will display in your browser.
- Click on the website address bar to highlight it.
- Copy the website address using Ctrl-C.
- Paste at your desired location using Ctrl-V.
If this policy is removed, the link will become broken. You will know that the policy you were using has been removed from the Document Finder.
Link to a policy or procedure record:
- Search for the policy using MEDICATION RECONCILIATION in the search box.
- Click on the Permalink button for that policy. Another page will open that displays the record and the thumbnail.
- Click on the website address bar to highlight it.
- Copy the website address using Ctrl-C.
- Paste at your desired location using Ctrl-V.
If this policy is updated or if the procedures linked to this policy are updated, you will automatically have the updates when you click on the persistent link you placed on your intranet site.
Link to a specific set of documents/records:
- From the home page, click on Saskatchewan Health Authority to retrieve all SHA policies created to date.
- Scroll down until you see DOCUMENT FORMAT on the left. Select FILLABLE PDF. Click APPLY.
- The records listed will be FORMS that can be filled in using your computer.
- Click on the website address bar to highlight it.
- Copy the website address using Ctrl-C.
- Paste at your desired location using Ctrl-V.
When more FILLABLE FORMS are added to the Document Finder, they will automatically appear in your link.
Browsing Indexes
Browsing indexes is a way of exploring the collections to see what exists in the collection or to scan the content if you do not have a specific topic in mind. You can browse directly from the Document Finder home page.
View by SHA/Former RHA
You can browse the SHA policies or policies from former RHAs under VIEW on the home page. The former region name will appear under VIEW as more former RHAs are added to the database. A search will automatically display for you when you click on the region you would like to browse.
New Policies
A list of SHA policies recently approved and effective will display under New Policies. Clicking on the title of the policy will display a record with a link to the PDF. Bookmarks have been added to PDFs of the SHA documents for large documents to display the headings within the document.
New Clinical Standards Documents
A short list of new Clinical Standards documents recently approved and effective will display under New Clinical Standards Documents. Clicking on the title of the policy will display a record with a link to the PDF or Word document. There are specific Document Types for Clinical Standards Documents. See Document Types above.
Advanced Search and Browse Link
Further browsing is available under the "Advanced Search and Browse" link under the main search bar. You can browse for policy documents organized alphabetically by former RHA and SHA which will display the number of records/documents in each collection. Or, you can browse by Document Type.
Information on each browse tab is displayed alphabetically. You can scroll down the page to look through all the possibilities, or you can narrow the options by selecting a letter from the alphabet menu at the top of the list. The number next to each option tells you how many records there are in the collections. To view the records, click on the option and the results will open up automatically.
Searching the Document Finder
You can conduct searches by entering search terms into the main search bar. The main search bar can be used to search all collections (SHA and all former regions in the database) at the same time. The main search bar is set up to search the fulltext of the policy and the fields that you see in the record.
Type in your search terms and then click the "Search" button or hit the "Enter" key.
Check boxes to Refine your Search
You can use the check boxes under the main search box to limit your search to SHA policies only or to Forms only. The check boxes on the home page are useful when you are familiar with the content for which you are searching. Or, limit your search as indicated in the steps under “Refining your search” below.
Automatic Spelling Corrections and "Did you mean" Search Suggestions
As you enter search terms in the main search bar, suggested topics or names will come up automatically for you to choose from. If your initial search does not bring up any results, the system will suggest alternate searches that are known to bring back results.
Refining Your Search
If you run a search and get a lot of search results, you can refine your search by:
- Adding more words to your search, using the search box near the search results.
- Removing search options by clicking the next to each.
- Using the filters to select former RHAs, Document Types, or Document Formats.
Views
You can view more information about each item in your search results by clicking on “More Detail”. Clicking on the item title will open the PDF of the document.
There are different ways to view your results. The default display of your results is called LIST VIEW. It displays the following fields in a brief view:
LIST VIEW – BRIEF DISPLAY (this is the default display)
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Title of the [policy] | Includes a link on the title that opens the PDF of the document. |
| Document Number | A unique identification number. For former regions, we may have had to add elements to the number to make it unique. |
| SHA/Former Region | Identifies if the record is SHA or which former region. |
| Video link | Applicable for new SHA policies only. |
| Thumbnail | Provides an image view of the document with a link to the PDF. |
List View – more Detail will display all fields above plus:
LIST VIEW – MORE DETAIL
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Cite As | A citation in Vancouver style format has been added to the record to simplify how to cite the policies. |
| Contents | Lists the specific contents of the document, including the appendices. |
| Related Records | Provides the hierarchy of the policy, procedures, and forms related to that records with links to the related records. |
| SHA/Former Region | Identifies if the record is SHA or which former region. |
TABLE VIEW
In order to display your search results in a table format, you need to click on LIST VIEW which is located above on the right side of the search results displayed. Click on the dropdown arrow and select TABLE VIEW.
| Title of the [policy] | Document number | Effective Date | SHA / Former Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol and Drug [Policy] | SHA-06-004 | October 16, 2018 | Saskatchewan Health Authority |
Your Cart
You can save items that you are interested in by clicking on the "Add to Cart" button which displays in each document record when you are in LIST VIEW. If you would like to remove an item from the cart, click on the "Remove" button. Multiple items can be added to the cart, across different searches. To view your cart, select the "View Your Cart" link or button on the main navigation bar.
Advanced Searching
The Advanced Search form helps you build more complex searches if you are looking for a particular item or researching a very specific topic. To access the Advanced Search form, click on the "Advanced Search" link under the main search bar, and select the "Advanced Search" tab if it's not already selected.
To create an advanced search, use the "Select a field" drop down menu to select a field that you would like to search, and then type in your search terms. You can search up to 3 fields at once to help narrow down your search results.
Once you have finished filling out the form, click the "Search" button to run your search. Alternatively, you can choose to start over by clicking the "Clear Form" button.
Additional Search Options
The additional search options listed here can be used as described, on their own, or in combination.
Combining Search Terms with Boolean Operators
You can combine search terms with the AND, OR, and NOT Boolean operators (typed out in all capitals).
Multiple search terms are automatically assumed to be combined with AND, but you can combine the search terms explicitly by typing out AND between the terms. Use AND for searching when you want results that match both (or more) search terms.
e.g., to search for documents that contain both privacy and health information, in the search bar, type:
privacy AND health information
To look for records that match any one of your search terms, use OR.
e.g., to search for documents that contain either privacy or confidential, in the search bar, type:
privacy OR confidential
Use NOT if you would like to include one search term but exclude another.
e.g., to search for documents that contain privacy but do not contain health, in the search bar, type:
privacy NOT health
Grouping Terms
You can use parentheses to group terms and phrases. This can be very useful if you want to control the boolean logic for a query.
e.g., to search for documents that contain both privacy and health, but not gunshot, in the search bar, type:
(privacy AND health) NOT gunshot
Phrase Searches
To search for an exact phrase, enclose the phrase in quotation marks in the search bar.
e.g., to search for documents that contain the exact words acceptable use of information , type:
"acceptable use of information"
Wildcard Searches
Wildcard searches can be used when you do not know the exact term you are searching for, or if you wish to look at variations of your search term.
e.g., to find results that match text or test, you can use the ? symbol and search for:
te?t
The ? symbol is used in place of a single character. To search for multiple unknown characters, use the * symbol.
e.g., to find results that match test, tests, tester, testing, or any other variation that begins with test, search for:
test*
The * symbol can be used in the middle of a term.
e.g., to find test, tempest, tenet, etc. (i.e., any words that begin with "te-" and end in "-t"), search for:
te*t
You can also use the ? and * symbols at the start of a term.
e.g., to search for test, harvest, forest, etc. (i.e., any words that end in "-est"), search for:
*est
Proximity Searches
To search for documents that have two terms within a certain number of words of each other, use the ~ symbol with a number.
e.g., to search for the terms medication and identification within 10 words of each other, search for:
"medication identification"~10
where the desired terms are in quotation marks, followed immediately by the ~ symbol and a number.
Fuzzy Searches
The ~ symbol can also be used for approximate searches, but only when a single word is being searched.
e.g., to search for terms that are similar in spelling to cat, search for:
cat~
This will bring back results that match terms like bat, rat, mat and hat, in addition to cat.
Range Searches
To perform a range search, use the [ ] symbols and the word TO (in all capitals).
e.g., if you’re searching for titles that fall alphabetically between Alcohol and Corporate, search for:
[alcohol TO corporate]
You can also search a range of numbers using the same method.
e.g., if you’re searching for documents from between 2006 to 2008, search for:
[2006 TO 2008]
Boosting a Term
To give one search term more importance over another, you can use the ^ symbol followed by a number.
e.g., if you want to search for documents with both forest and rock, but forest is the more important search term, search for:
medication identification^5
which will give the term identification 5 times the value of the term medication.