[The Health Information System for Indigenous Peoples in Brazil (SIASI): design, structure, and functioning]

The Brazilian Health Information System for Indigenous Peoples (SIASI) was created in 1999 as part of the Sub-System for Indigenous Peoples' Health Care. The aim was to improve availability and access to crucial health information for planning, implementation, and evaluation. The current study analyzes the SIASI, focusing on its creation, implementation, functioning, potential, and limitations. Documents were surveyed in the Indigenous Peoples' Health Department of the National Health Foundation, followed by comparative analyses with other health information systems. The SIASI is organized in eight modules, three of which were in operation at the time of the study. The system's main limitations involve data collection instruments, human resources training, lack of interface with other national health information systems, difficult access to the data, and non-utilization of the data to plan subsequent health activities. The potentialities include the system's simplicity, comprehensiveness, and possibilities for disaggregating data. The study highlights the importance of a specific health information system for indigenous peoples, due to their socio-cultural and demographic specificities.