2016 ICT4D Conference

"How do I evaluate my digital health program?" "What indicators should I use to demonstrate my ICT strategy works?" "What claims can I make about my ICT strategy on health outcomes?" Despite the global call for implementations to be guided by evidence, program managers face these recurring questions when designing robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans. Challenges associated with the M&E of digital health projects include the varied application of ICT for health, with permutations combining different technologies and platforms, health domains, and types of end-users. In addition, ICT often sits within the context of a larger health intervention, and may not operate as standalone packages amenable to discrete evaluations. Due to these considerations, M&E requires careful reflection and technical guidance. In response to this need, this session will showcase and discuss the recently launched WHO toolkit on M&E for digital health. The panel will feature representatives from WHO and Johns Hopkins University Global mHealth Initiative who will detail the pragmatic ICT-specific steps: target stakeholder evidence needs, use measurable indicators, review the quality of data, and systematically report findings. Additionally, this panel session will highlight key M&E resources of value to the ecosystem, including the mHealth Data Assessment Tool (mDAT) and the mHealth Evaluation, Reporting and Assessment of mHealth (mERA) Guidelines.