This report documents the first phase of the research project entitled Developing a Health Information System to Support Continuous Improvement in Antenatal Care for Aboriginal Women in the Central Australian Region.

The project consisted of four major elements: a literature review; consultations with Aboriginal women; quantitative
investigative components; and the implementation and trial pilot of a health information system for antenatal care in the primary health care setting. Funding was provided by the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health.

The research was initiated and managed by Congress Alukura, the women’s health branch of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress [CAAC] located in Alice Springs, Central Australia. Congress Alukura provides health services to Aboriginal women based on Traditional Grandmother’s Law. The research arose from the 1998 review of Congress Alukura, which identified a lack of information about young Aboriginal women’s expressed needs for and views
about antenatal services.