Overview

The key aim of this guideline is to present recommendations based on a critical evaluation of the evidence on emerging digital health interventions that are contributing to health system improvements, based on an assessment of the benefits, harms, acceptability, feasibility, resource use and equity considerations.

This guideline urges readers to recognize that digital health interventions are not a substitute for functioning health systems, and that there are significant limitations to what digital health is able to address.

Contents

• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Executive summary
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1. Background
  • 1.2. Role of digital health in health system strengthening and universal health coverage
  • 1.3. Objectives of this guideline
  • 1.4. Target audience
  • 1.5. Linkages with other WHO resources
  • 1.6. Context and the enabling environment
  • 1.7. Linkages to the broader digital health architecture
  • 1.8. Living guidelines approach
• 2. Methods
  • 2.1. Identification of priority questions
  • 2.2. Scoping of interventions and outcomes
  • 2.3. Evidence retrieval
  • 2.4. Assessment, synthesis and grading of the evidence
  • 2.5. Roles and responsibilities of contributors
  • 2.6. Consolidation of evidence
  • 2.7. Decision-making and formulation of recommendations
  • 2.8. Document preparation and peer review
  • 2.9. Presentation of the guideline
• 3. Evidence and recommendations
  • 3.1. Cross-cutting acceptability and feasibility findings
  • 3.2. Accountability coverage: Birth and Death Notification via Mobile Devices
  • 3.3. Availability of commodities: Stock Notification and Commodity
  • 3.4. Accessibility of health facilities and human resources for health: Client-to-Provider Telemedicine
  • 3.6. Accessibility of health facilities and human resources for health: Provider-to-Provider Telemedicine
  • 3.7. Contact and continuous coverage: Targeted Client Communication for Behaviour Change Related to Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health
  • 3.8. Effective coverage: Health Worker Decision Support
  • 3.9. Multiple points of coverage: Digital Tracking of Clients’ Health Status and Services Combined with Decision-Support and Targeted Client Communication
  • 3.10. Effective coverage: Digital Provision of Training and Educational Content to Health Workers via Mobile Devices/Mobile Learning
• 4. Implementation considerations
  • 4.1. Linking the recommendations across the health system
  • 4.2. Implementation components
  • 4.3. Overarching implementation considerations
• 5. Future research
  • 5.1. Overarching research gaps
  • 5.2. Considerations for the design of future evaluations
• 6. Disseminating and updating the guideline
  • 6.1. Dissemination and implementation of the guideline
  • 6.2. Updates and living guidelines approach
• Glossary
• References
• Annexes
  • Annex 1. Classification of digital health interventions and Health system challenges
  • Annex 2. Priority questions
  • Annex 3. Contributors
  • Annex 4. Summary of declarations of interest
  • Annex 5. Evidence maps and illustrative research questions
• Web Supplement 1. Evidence-to-decision frameworks
• Web Supplement 2. Unpublished systematic reviews and GRADE tables

Suggested citation:

WHO guideline: recommendations on digital interventions for health system strengthening. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

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