Why English? | Reporting iCHECK-DH Digital Health Implementations Through Context, Technology, Delivery, Outcomes and Scale

ORIENTATION

What this guide owns

Current fact check

The iCHECK-DH developers used reporting-guideline development guidance, literature review, three Delphi rounds, consensus meetings, workshops and real implementation reports. The final checklist has 20 items across seven sections and distinguishes mandatory from nonmandatory information.

Canonical boundary

This article owns reporting of digital health implementations with iCHECK-DH. STARE-HI owns evaluation reports for health informatics systems, while effectiveness trials, economic evaluations, cybersecurity, product regulation and procurement remain separate.

Worked example

Every chapter returns to a fictional regional programme introducing secure mobile follow-up for adolescents managing a chronic condition. It is fictional, low-stakes and educational; it does not report a real school, clinical decision or guaranteed outcome.

Warm up with eduKate’s guides to explaining scientific evidence and asking better questions in class.

CHAPTER 1 OF 16

1. Name the Implementation and Its Setting

Back to contents

Why this move matters

Identify the digital health function, target population, organisation, geography and implementation stage in the title and abstract.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Identify the digital health function, target population, organisation, geography and implementation stage in the title and abstract. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: The report names mobile follow-up in three regional adolescent clinics. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Digital health is too broad to describe a specific implementation. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Name the Implementation and Its Setting”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 2 OF 16

2. Explain the Problem Before the Technology

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Why this move matters

Describe the service problem, prior workflow, affected population, consequences and evidence that change was needed.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Describe the service problem, prior workflow, affected population, consequences and evidence that change was needed. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Missed follow-up and fragmented communication are documented before the mobile service is introduced. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

A technology can be interesting without solving the priority problem. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Explain the Problem Before the Technology”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 3 OF 16

3. Describe Political, Organisational and Social Context

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Why this move matters

Report policies, financing, governance, culture, infrastructure, workforce, language and other conditions that shaped delivery.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Report policies, financing, governance, culture, infrastructure, workforce, language and other conditions that shaped delivery. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Consent rules, school schedules, data plans and clinic staffing affect use. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Context is not background decoration; it changes the intervention. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Describe Political, Organisational and Social Context”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 4 OF 16

4. Identify Stakeholders, Roles and Power

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Why this move matters

Name beneficiaries, users, implementers, leaders, funders, vendors and affected groups, including how they participated in design and decisions.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Name beneficiaries, users, implementers, leaders, funders, vendors and affected groups, including how they participated in design and decisions. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Adolescents, caregivers, nurses, specialists, IT teams and clinic managers have distinct roles. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Consultation does not mean every group had equal influence. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Identify Stakeholders, Roles and Power”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 5 OF 16

5. Describe the Digital Health Intervention Precisely

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Why this move matters

Report hardware, software, data flows, interfaces, functions, standards, language versions, access routes and dependencies.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Report hardware, software, data flows, interfaces, functions, standards, language versions, access routes and dependencies. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: The report distinguishes secure messaging, reminders, clinician dashboard and identity verification. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

An app name cannot tell readers what the service actually did. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Describe the Digital Health Intervention Precisely”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 6 OF 16

6. State Maturity, Provenance and Change History

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Why this move matters

Explain whether the technology was new, adapted or scaled, who developed it, which version operated and what changed during implementation.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Explain whether the technology was new, adapted or scaled, who developed it, which version operated and what changed during implementation. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: A version timeline separates the pilot interface from the scaled release. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Results from mixed versions are difficult to interpret. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “State Maturity, Provenance and Change History”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 7 OF 16

7. Explain the Implementation Strategy

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Why this move matters

Describe readiness assessment, co-design, training, champions, communication, workflow redesign, phased launch, support and adaptation rules.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Describe readiness assessment, co-design, training, champions, communication, workflow redesign, phased launch, support and adaptation rules. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Clinics begin in phases after readiness checks and simulation. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Listing activities does not explain why they were chosen. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Explain the Implementation Strategy”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 8 OF 16

8. Report Resources and Costs of Delivery

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Why this move matters

Describe people, time, equipment, connectivity, facilities, training, support, procurement and financing needed to implement and maintain the service.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Describe people, time, equipment, connectivity, facilities, training, support, procurement and financing needed to implement and maintain the service. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: The programme counts nurse time, devices, data support, integration and help-desk work. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Donated pilot resources can hide the cost of routine operation. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Report Resources and Costs of Delivery”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 9 OF 16

9. Protect Privacy, Security, Ethics and Access

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Why this move matters

Report consent, data governance, access controls, incident response, exclusion risks and accommodations for users with limited devices, connectivity or literacy.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Report consent, data governance, access controls, incident response, exclusion risks and accommodations for users with limited devices, connectivity or literacy. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Alternative telephone follow-up remains available and access roles are audited. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

A privacy policy alone does not show how protection worked in practice. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Protect Privacy, Security, Ethics and Access”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 10 OF 16

10. Show What Was Delivered and to Whom

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Why this move matters

Report reach, sites, timeline, dose, fidelity, adaptations, uptake and characteristics of participants and nonparticipants.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Report reach, sites, timeline, dose, fidelity, adaptations, uptake and characteristics of participants and nonparticipants. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: The report separates eligible adolescents, enrolled users, active users and completed follow-ups. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Downloads are not the same as meaningful use. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Show What Was Delivered and to Whom”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 11 OF 16

11. Measure Process, Service and Health Outcomes Separately

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Why this move matters

Distinguish implementation outcomes such as adoption from service outcomes such as waiting time and health outcomes such as symptom control.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Distinguish implementation outcomes such as adoption from service outcomes such as waiting time and health outcomes such as symptom control. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Uptake, response time, continuity and clinical outcomes are reported as different layers. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

A smoother process may not yet produce a health benefit. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Measure Process, Service and Health Outcomes Separately”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 12 OF 16

12. Report Monitoring, Data Quality and Evaluation Methods

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Why this move matters

Explain indicators, data sources, missing data, baselines, comparison logic, qualitative methods, feedback and analysis.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Explain indicators, data sources, missing data, baselines, comparison logic, qualitative methods, feedback and analysis. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: System logs are combined with interviews and clinic records, with missingness described. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Routine data can reflect workflow changes as well as real outcomes. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Report Monitoring, Data Quality and Evaluation Methods”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 13 OF 16

13. Describe Barriers, Facilitators and Unintended Effects

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Why this move matters

Report technical, human, organisational and external factors that helped or hindered, including workarounds and unexpected consequences.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Report technical, human, organisational and external factors that helped or hindered, including workarounds and unexpected consequences. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Notification fatigue and caregiver phone sharing lead to revised settings and privacy guidance. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Removing an inconvenience can create work elsewhere. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Describe Barriers, Facilitators and Unintended Effects”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 14 OF 16

14. Explain Adaptation Without Losing the Core Function

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Why this move matters

State what changed, why, who approved it and whether the change preserved the intervention’s essential mechanism.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

State what changed, why, who approved it and whether the change preserved the intervention’s essential mechanism. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: Message timing is localised while secure two-way follow-up remains the core function. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Unrecorded adaptation makes cross-site comparisons misleading. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Explain Adaptation Without Losing the Core Function”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 15 OF 16

15. Discuss Scale, Transfer and Sustainability

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Why this move matters

Describe prerequisites, capacity, governance, financing, ownership, maintenance, workforce and evidence needed for continuation or expansion.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Describe prerequisites, capacity, governance, financing, ownership, maintenance, workforce and evidence needed for continuation or expansion. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: The scale plan names recurrent funding, vendor exit options, monitoring and local support. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Pilot enthusiasm is not a sustainability model. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Discuss Scale, Transfer and Sustainability”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

CHAPTER 16 OF 16

16. Disclose Funding, Interests, Access and Lessons

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Why this move matters

Report sponsors, vendor roles, conflicts, access to materials, limitations and lessons for future implementers.

Tell the implementation as a sequence

Report sponsors, vendor roles, conflicts, access to materials, limitations and lessons for future implementers. Separate preparation, adaptation, launch, support, monitoring, scale and sustainment so readers can see when each decision occurred.

Map people, technology and setting

Worked example: The report separates funder oversight from analysis and publishes implementation tools. Identify users, beneficiaries, leaders, vendors, infrastructure, policies, workflows and local constraints, then show how they interacted.

Explain failure as useful evidence

Report delays, workarounds, abandoned functions, uneven uptake and unintended effects with the same care as successes. A transferable lesson often lives inside a difficulty.

Respect context and limits

Transparency cannot remove a conflict, but it lets readers appraise it. A complete implementation report does not guarantee that another site will achieve the same result; it helps the next team decide what must be adapted and tested.

Student, parent and career transfer

Make one evidence card for “Disclose Funding, Interests, Access and Lessons”: source location, plain-language meaning, limit and next question. A parent or teacher can ask for one everyday explanation and one specialist explanation; both must preserve the same conditions. This habit supports digital health, implementation science, nursing, medicine, public health, programme management, service design, policy and technical support without promising a grade, admission, funding decision or job.

PRACTICE LAB

Build a icheck_dh decision trail

Student route

1. Choose one original report inside this guide’s scope.
2. Copy its objective and underline actor, action, context, evidence and intended decision.
3. Draw the specific reasoning chain used in this article.
4. Mark each step reported, inferred, contested or unknown.
5. Rewrite the conclusion so it preserves the narrowest important limitation.

Parent or teacher route

Ask the learner to explain report a digital health implementation as a real change in people, workflow, technology and setting—not as an app description twice: once to a classmate and once to a method specialist. Praise a precise correction and a well-stated unknown; both show disciplined attention to evidence.

Early-career route

Create a one-page icheck_dh audit with source link, date checked, scope, method logic, decisive wording, contrary evidence, limit and next action. A colleague should be able to continue without guessing.

Continue with eduKate’s guides to reading course and career information and giving useful feedback in group projects.

USEFUL NEXT READING

Connect this narrow owner to its neighbour

Read the STARE-HI health-informatics evaluation guide for a related but different reader job. Return here when the question is specifically how to report a digital health implementation as a real change in people, workflow, technology and setting—not as an app description. This boundary keeps one canonical owner per intent.

For English practice across research, school and career communication, visit the English at work and in public life guide.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions students and parents often ask

What is iCHECK-DH?

A 20-item reporting guideline for digital health implementations.

How is implementation different from effectiveness?

Implementation asks how a change was delivered, adopted and sustained; effectiveness asks what effects it produced.

Why report context?

Infrastructure, policy, culture, workforce and financing can change how the same technology works.

Are all 20 items mandatory?

The checklist distinguishes mandatory and nonmandatory items; omitted mandatory information should be explained.

Does a successful pilot prove scalability?

No. Scale changes resources, coordination, risk and governance.

Why report failures and workarounds?

They reveal dependencies and help future implementers adapt safely.