The World Health Organization Digital Adaptation Kits (WHO-DAKs): the new norm for digital health development

Date/time: Wednesday 21st September 2022 / Time: 15:00 to 16:00

Venue: online zoom (Register Now)

Introduction

Ministries of health and donors globally have recognized the value of digital health as articulated within the World Health Assembly resolution and the Global strategy on digital health . Despite tremendous investments into digital systems worldwide, there is often limited understanding and transparency in health data in relation to evidence-based clinical practice and public health recommendations, thereby impeding interoperability and threatening continuity of care. To mitigate these challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Digital Adaptation Kits (DAKs) for Antenatal care as part of its SMART (Standards-based, Machine-readable, Adaptive, Requirements-based, and Testable) guidelines to support countries implementing antenatal care, contraception and family planning in their digital health systems.

DAKs are software neutral, standardized documentation that distils clinical, public health and data use guidance into a format that can be transparently incorporated into digital systems in different countries and across different health systems. It uses information technology to support informed decision-making by clinicians, the health workforce and health systems, strengthening resilience to disease and improving health and wellness. DAKs include process workflows, core data needs, decision support algorithms, linkages to indicators, and functional requirements for a health domain area, which can then be operationalized more readily into a digital system. The WHO DAKs guidelines provide a unique way to reinforce recommendations and service delivery.

Objective are

1. To understand how this DAK would be applied to a digital tracking and decision-support system in the context of specific health programs and interventions in resource poor countries (sub-Sahara Africa)

2. To understand the wants, needs and constraints of the end-users

3. To understand how the system would be used and fit into existing workflows.

4. To know which data elements, need to be logged and their interoperability with other existing systems.

Target Audience

International community

World Health Organization

Non-Governmental Organizations

Ministries of Health

Clinicians

Public health experts

• Panelist

1. Tigest Tamrat

Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research,

World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland [email protected]

2. Dr Irene Emah,

WHO Family Health Officer,

Yaounde, Cameroon [email protected]

3. Adebola Adegboyega,

College of Nursing, University of Kentucky,

Lexington, Kentucky

4. Miriam Nkangu, School Of Epidemiology and Public Health,

University of Ottawa,

Ottawa, Canada.

5. Donald Weledji,

Founder and CEO, Donwel Systems

Brussels Region, Belgium

• Moderator

Dr Ngo Valery

Senior Health Analyst,

Nkafu Policy Institute,

Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation,

Yaoundé, Cameroon.