| CRCAH Project No: CP65 |
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Administering Organisation:
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC)
Project Leader:
Lorraine Liddle (CAAC)
Contact Details:
lorraine.liddle@caac.org.au
Team Members:
Gai Wilson, Catriona
Elek, Leshay Maidment, Emma Lake, Gill Hall, Rachael Lockey,
Melissa Roberts, Heather Hancock, Glenda Gleeson, John Boffa, Jenny
Hunt
Program Manager:
Barbara Beacham,
Comprehensive Primary Health Care, Health System and Workforce
Program
Funding Sources:
- CRC for Aboriginal Health
Partners Involved:
- Australian National University
- NT Department of Health and Community Services
- Alice Springs Hospital
- Ngaayatjarra Health Service
- Anyinginyi Aboriginal Congress
- Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT)
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Project Summary:
Aboriginal women’s health
continues to be an area of concern with many Aboriginal women
suffering complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and babies
having lower birthweights and higher levels of complications
compared with non-Aboriginal Australians. In Central Australia
there are two main providers of antenatal care for urban Aboriginal
women: Congress Alukura and the NT Department of Health and
Community Services (DHCS). Alukura is a branch of Central
Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) and has been reviewed several
times, most recently in 1998. In that review, Carter
et al
recommended further research which has led to the current project.
The aim of this project was to develop an ongoing health
information system to foster continuous improvement in antenatal
care in the Central Australian Region, and to pilot the system at
Congress Alukura and the Alice Springs Hospital. The system will be
informed by the identification of features of quality antenatal
care for Aboriginal women in Central Australia, and the development
of indicators to capture these features.
Summary of Projected Outcomes:
The primary objectives of this project are to:
- Identify trends in the quality of antenatal care in Central
Australia 1995-2004, and any strengths and weaknesses.
- Identify associations between antenatal care factors and birth
outcomes for Aboriginal women in central Australia.
- Describe the characteristics of women accessing/not accessing
Alukura and the Alice Springs Hospital.
- Describe the clinical and other elements of quality antenatal
care for Aboriginal women in Central Australia.
- Make recommendations regarding useful indicators and monitoring
of best practice.
- Provide information to assist in planning of antenatal services
and policy and practice guidelines.
- Establish a health information system which may be transferable
to other settings and regions.
- Enhance the existing Alukura service through improved systems
and abilities to support the delivery of quality antenatal care in
stakeholder organisations.
- Increase the ability of Aboriginal women to participate in
research processes.
Summary of Project Implementation:
The project includes four methodological components:
- A literature review exploring the current systems of antenatal
care, including those for Aboriginal women in Central
Australia.
- A quantitative investigation into whether antenatal care in the
Central Australia region has contributed to improvements in birth
outcomes.
- A qualitative investigation into women’s perceptions and
experiences of good antenatal care.
- The implementation and trial pilot of a system for ongoing
evaluation of antenatal care in the primary health care
setting.
Timeline:
This project began in 2005 and is
due to finish in 2008.
Related Documents/Links:
Reports:
Hancock H, 2006,
Aboriginal women’s perinatal needs, experiences and
maternity services: A literature review to enable considerations to
be made about quality indicators, Ngaanyatjarra Health
Service, Alice Springs.
Wilson G, 2007, What do Aboriginal women
think is good antenatal care? Central Australian Aboriginal
Congress, Alice Springs.
Links:
Alukura – Central Australian Aboriginal
Congress
Young Women’s Community Health
program
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[Last updated 5.12.2008]
