Correction: iCHECK-DH: Guidelines and Checklist for the Reporting on Digital Health Implementations.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/46694.].

iCHECK-DH: Guidelines and Checklist for the Reporting on Digital Health Implementations.

Background: Implementation of digital health technologies has grown rapidly, but many remain limited to pilot studies due to challenges, such as a lack of evidence or barriers to implementation. Overcoming these challenges requires learning from previous implementations and systematically documenting implementation processes to better understand the real-world impact of a technology and identify effective strategies for future implementation.

Objective: A group of global experts, facilitated by the Geneva Digital Health Hub, developed the Guidelines and Checklist for the Reporting on Digital Health Implementations (iCHECK-DH, pronounced "I checked") to improve the completeness of reporting on digital health implementations.

Evaluation of the Efficiency of Telemedicine in the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases in Primary Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Medico-Economic Study in Cameroon.

Objective: To assess the efficiency of tele-expertise (tele-ECG) for patients and for health facilities in managing patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in primary health care in Cameroon.

Method: This study was a medico-economic study combining two approaches: cost minimization and cost-effectiveness analysis. It was conducted alongside the previous published controlled multicenter study carried out in Cameroon's two health facilities where tele-ECG has been implemented (intervention centres) and two other where telemedicine has been not implemented (control centres).

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Telemedicine in the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases in Primary Health Care in Cameroon: An Interventional Study.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of tele-expertise (tele-ECG) in primary health care in Cameroon for the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases or risk factors.

Method: It is a controlled multicenter study carried out in Cameroon's two health facilities where tele-ECG has been implemented (intervention centers) and two other where telemedicine has been not implemented (control centers). Patients having cardiovascular risk factors or diseases received usual primary health care in the control centers.

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Objective: The need for an efficient and reliable health information system motivated Gabon, with the support of the World Bank, to finance a project to reinforce its health information system. An audit of this system was required to report on the reality of the existing system and tools.

Methods: Over the course of two periods, May to September 2016 and April to May 2018, information was collected using both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Implementation of a national electronic health information system in Gabon: a survey of healthcare providers' perceptions.

Background: The Health Information System (HIS) is a set of computerized tools for the collection, storage, management, and transmission of health data. The role of such tools in supporting the modernization of health systems, improving access to quality healthcare, and reducing costs in developing countries is unquestionable, but their implementation faces several challenges. In Gabon, a unique national electronic HIS has been launched.

A Teledermatology Pilot Programme for the Management of Skin Diseases in Primary Health Care Centres: Experiences from a Resource-Limited Country (Mali, West Africa).

In sub-Saharan Africa, in particular in rural areas, patients have limited access to doctors with specialist skills in skin diseases. To address this issue, a teledermatology pilot programme focused on primary health centres was set up in Mali. This study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of this programme and its impact on the management of skin diseases.

Telemedicine as a tool for digital medical education: a 15-year journey inside the RAFT network.

This paper presents the evolution and growth of continuous medical education through the Réseau en Afrique Francophone pour la Télémédecine (RAFT) network. RAFT is a telemedicine network present on four continents and built through years of experience, with the goal of supporting isolated healthcare professionals by providing them with the right expertise at the right time using affordable, low-bandwidth technologies. Much more than a platform to share and exchange knowledge, RAFT has put in place a solid local infrastructure to ensure the sustainability and maintenance of the network.

The influence of a telehealth project on healthcare professional recruitment and retention in remote areas in Mali: A longitudinal study.

Objectives: The telehealth project EQUI-ResHuS (in French, Les TIC pour un accès Équitable aux Ressources Humaines en Santé) aimed to contribute to more equitable access to care and support practice in remote regions in Mali. This study explored the evolution of perceptions concerning telehealth among healthcare professionals in the four district health centres that participated in the EQUI-ResHus project and identified variables influencing their perceptions of telehealth impact on recruitment and retention of health professionals.

Methods: One year after a first survey (T1), a second data collection (T2) was carried out among healthcare professionals using a 91-item questionnaire.

Reverse innovation experiences from the RAFT e-learning and telemedicine network.

Available infrastructure, resources, and provided services in low-and middle-income countries differ significantly from high-income countries. In healthcare for example, the uneven distribution of health professionals and lack of human resources are real barriers to equitable access to quality health care and services in most developing countries and particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. As available resources are lower and infrastructure is les developed many services and tools that have been developed for a high-income context cannot be used or are not sustainably affordable in a low-income environment, which led to the development of tools and services that are affordable and appropriate for this context.

E-Health, another mechanism to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in remote areas: lessons learned from EQUI-ResHuS project in Mali.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived influence of telehealth on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in remote areas in Mali.

Methods: After 15 months of diagnosis imaging training and telehealth activities at four project sites in remote Mali, between May 2011 and August 2012, a 75-item questionnaire was administered to healthcare professionals to assess the various factors related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially telehealth, and their influence on health personnel recruitment and retention. Questions assessing perceived impact of telehealth on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals were rated on a five-point Likert scale.

The RAFT Telemedicine Network: Lessons Learnt and Perspectives from a Decade of Educational and Clinical Services in Low- and Middle-Incomes Countries.

Background: The objectives of this paper are to (i) provide an overview of the educational and clinical experiences of the Réseau en Afrique Francophone pour la Télémédecine (RAFT) network, (ii) analyze key challenges and lessons learnt throughout a decade of activity, and (iii) draw a vision and perspectives of its sustainability.

Methods: The study was carried out following three main stages: (i) a literature review, (ii) the analysis of key documents, and (iii) discussions with key collaborators of the RAFT.

Results: Réseau en Afrique Francophone pour la Télémédecine has been offering an important quantity of educational, clinical, and public health activities during the last decade.

Medical and economic benefits of telehealth in low- and middle-income countries: results of a study in four district hospitals in Mali.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of telehealth on 1) the diagnosis, and management in obstetrics and cardiology, 2) health care costs from patients' perspectives, 3) attendance at health centres located in remote areas of Mali.

Methods: The impact of telehealth on health care utilization, quality, and costs was assessed using a five-point Likert-scale based questionnaire consisting of three dimensions. It was completed by health care professionals in four district hospitals.

Enhancing research capacity of African institutions through social networking.

Traditionally, participation of African researchers in top Biomedical Informatics (BMI) scientific journals and conferences has been scarce. Looking beyond these numbers, an educational goal should be to improve overall research and, therefore, to increase the number of scientists/authors able to produce and publish high quality research. In such scenario, we are carrying out various efforts to expand the capacities of various institutions located at four African countries - Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon and Mali - in the framework of a European Commission-funded project, AFRICA BUILD.

Relevance and usability of a computerized patient simulator for continuous medical education of isolated care professionals in sub-saharan Africa.

Objective: to explore the relevance and usability of using a computerized patient simulator as a tool for continuous medical education and decision support for health professionals in district hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: based on the diagnosis pathway and decision analysis in uncertainty context, interactive clinical vignettes are developed using VIPS, a computerized patient simulator, taking into account clinical problem situations whose relevance was identified. Vignettes were adapted to take into account local epidemiology, availability of diagnostic and therapeutic resources, and local socio-cultural constraints.

Deploying portable ultrasonography with remote assistance for isolated physicians in Africa: lessons from a pilot study in Mali.

Objective: Demonstrate the feasibility of deploying portable ultrasonography with remote assistance to improve the diagnostic capabilities of isolated physicians in Africa.

Methods: The approach is based on the training of general practitioners for the use of ultrasonography, and the remote support by radiologists using dedicated tools for image transfer over low-bandwidth internet connections.

Results: Our early results in a pilot project in Mali show that this approach is feasible, and that isolated physicians can productively use ultrasonography to improve diagnosis and management decisions such as the need for a medical evacuation towards a reference hospital.

Open source challenges for hospital information system (HIS) in developing countries: a pilot project in Mali.

Background: We are currently witnessing a significant increase in use of Open Source tools in the field of health. Our study aims to research the potential of these software packages for developing countries. Our experiment was conducted at the Centre Hospitalier Mere Enfant in Mali.

The RAFT network: 5 years of distance continuing medical education and tele-consultations over the Internet in French-speaking Africa.

Continuing education of healthcare professionals is a key element for the quality and efficiency of a health system. In developing countries, this activity is usually limited to capitals, and delocalized professionals do not have access to such opportunities, or to didactic material adapted to their needs. This limits the interest of such professionals to remain active in the periphery, where they are most needed to implement effective strategies for prevention and first-line healthcare.

Assessment of Internet-based tele-medicine in Africa (the RAFT project).

The objectives of this paper on the Réseau Afrique Francophone de Télémédecine (RAFT) project are the evaluation of feasibility, potential, problems and risks of an Internet-based tele-medicine network in developing countries of Africa. The RAFT project was started in Western African countries 5 years ago and has now extended to other regions of Africa as well (i.e.