SMART Guidelines Starter Kit
2.1.0 - ci-build
SMART Guidelines Starter Kit
2.1.0 - ci-build
SMART Guidelines Starter Kit, published by WHO. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 2.1.0 built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/WorldHealthOrganization/smart-ig-starter-kit/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions
SMART Guidelines products are required to express their copyright license.
© World Health Organization 2025. Some rights reserved.
This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Under the terms of this licence, you may copy, redistribute and adapt the work, including for commercial purposes, provided the attribution notice below is included in your work. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organization, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted.
Attribution notice to include in your product:
This Digital Adaptation Kit (DAK) was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing business requirements documentation in the format of WHO SMART guidelines digital adaptation kits (DAK), available here [URL: https://smart.who.int/ig-starter-kit/index.htm]. WHO is not responsible for the content included in this DAK.
All reasonable precautions have been taken by WHO to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall WHO be liable for damages arising from its use.
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.
The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.
Any dispute arising from or relating to this license, including its validity, interpretation, or application, shall, unless amicably settled, be subject to conciliation. In the event the dispute is not resolved by conciliation within thirty (30) days, the dispute shall be settled by arbitration. The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the modalities to be agreed upon by the parties or, in the absence of agreement within thirty (30) days of written communication of the intent to commence arbitration, with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. The parties shall accept the arbitral award as final.
Copyright © 2025+, World Health Organization.
SMART Guidelines source code may include software libraries for decision support logic, indicator calculations, and scheduling logic.
This work is licensed under the BSD-3-clause
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
Any dispute arising from or relating to this license, including its validity, interpretation, or application, shall, unless amicably settled, be subject to conciliation. In the event the dispute is not resolved by conciliation within thirty (30) days, the dispute shall be settled by arbitration. The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the modalities to be agreed upon by the parties or, in the absence of agreement within thirty (30) days of written communication of the intent to commence arbitration, with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. The parties shall accept the arbitral award as final.
| Scenario | WHO resources | Local resources | Output | Suggested additional disclaimer(s) to be added by the external entities using the WHO product(s) | Guidance to external entities on how to proceed | License to use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L2_A: A country and/or an external organization intends to develop a DAK for a health area where WHO didn't publish a DAK, based on the local guidelines/policies/recommendations, using the WHO L2 SOP as a framework. | WHO L2 SOP | Local guidelines/policies/recommendations | Published L2 DAK for country context (e.g. diabetes DAK for Kenya) | Attribution notice to include in your product: "This Digital Adaptation Kit (DAK) was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing business requirements documentation in the format of WHO SMART guidelines digital adaptation kits (DAK), available here [URL: https://smart.who.int/ig-starter-kit/index.htm]. WHO is not responsible for the content included in this DAK." | 1. Use the WHO L2 SOP to develop the DAK in accordance with local policies, guidelines and recommendations. 2. Add the attribution notice mentioned in the previous column to the standard Creative Commons attribution notice and publish the DAK under CC BY 4.0 license. |
CC BY 4.0 |
| L2_B: A country and/or an external organization intends to adapt a WHO published DAK and create a local version of it based on the local guidelines/policies/recommendations and the WHO L2 SOP as a framework | WHO DAK + WHO L2 SOP + WHO L2 Adaptation guidance | Local guidelines/policies/recommendations | Published L2 DAK for country context (e.g. ANC DAK for Kenya) | Add to standard WHO DAK copyright notice/disclaimer: "This DAK is an adaptation of the WHO [health domain abbreviation] DAK. The original English edition can be accessed here [Handle URI to WHO DAK]. This DAK was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing business requirements documentation in the format of WHO SMART guidelines digital adaptation kits (DAK). This adaptation was not created by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this adaptation." | 1. Use as baseline the DAK published by WHO, the WHO L2 SOP and the existing WHO L2 adaptation guidance to develop the DAK in accordance with local policies, guidelines and recommendations. 2. Add the attribution notice mentioned in the previous column to the standard Creative Commons attribution notice and publish the DAK under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license. |
The WHO DAK is published under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence. The L2 SOP is under the CC BY 4.0 licence. |
| L2_C: An external organization intends to create a DAK based on the WHO guidelines (L1: normative guidelines) and the WHO L2 SOP, but no current WHO DAK exists. | WHO guidelines and other normative products as well as associated publications + WHO L2 SOP | Not applicable | Published WHO L2 DAK, based on WHO recommendations, for global context (e.g. WHO diabetes L2 DAK) | Attribution notice to include in your product: "This Digital Adaptation Kit (DAK) was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing business requirements documentation in the format of WHO SMART guidelines digital adaptation kits (DAK), available here [URL: https://smart.who.int/ig-starter-kit/index.htm]. WHO is not responsible for the content included in this DAK." | 1. Contact WHO to establish the modality of collaboration. The development of a DAK using solely the WHO guidelines and other normative products as well as associated publications (including WHO normative guidance, WHO normative products, WHO guidance and their normative statements) should be performed in partnership with WHO. | The WHO DAK is published under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence. The L2 SOP is under the CC BY 4.0 licence. |
| L2_D: A country and/or an external organization translates a DAK published by WHO, without performing adaptation to the local context. | WHO DAK | Not applicable | Translated WHO L2 DAK (e.g. Immunization DAK translated to Portuguese) | Disclaimer to add: "This translation was not created by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this translation. The original English edition shall be the binding and authentic edition." | 1. Translate the DAK published by WHO. 2. Add the disclaimer mentioned in the previous column to the standard Creative Commons attribution notice. 3. Publish the translated DAK under CC BY NC-SA 3.0 IGO license or similar terms. |
The WHO DAK is published under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence. |
| L3_A: A country and/or an external organization intends to create a local L3 (FHIR IG) based on a local DAK and the WHO L3 SOP. There is no L2 and no L3 developed and published by WHO for the health area. | WHO L3 SOP | Local DAK | Published L3 for country context (e.g. diabetes L3 for Kenya based on diabetes L2 DAK for Kenya) | Attribution notice to include in your product: "This implementation guide (IG) was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing L3 FHIR Implementation Guide, available here [URL: https://smart.who.int/ig-starter-kit/index.htm]. WHO is not responsible for the content included in this IG." | 1. Use the WHO L3 SOP to develop the IG in accordance with local policies, guidelines and recommendations. 2. Add the attribution notice mentioned in the previous column to the standard Creative Commons attribution notice and publish the IG under 3-clause Berkeley BSD license. |
The Implementation guide is licensed under the 3-clause BSD open source licence |
| L3_B: A country and/or an external organization intends to create a L3 (FHIR IG) based on a WHO DAK and the WHO L3 SOP, but for localized implementation. There is no L3 developed and published by WHO for the health area, but there is a WHO DAK. | WHO DAK + WHO L3 SOP | Local guidelines/policies/recommendations | Published L3 for country context (e.g. TB L3 for Kenya based on WHO TB DAK) | Attribution notice to include in your product: "This implementation guide (IG) was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing L3 FHIR Implementation Guide, available here [URL: https://smart.who.int/ig-starter-kit/index.htm]. WHO is not responsible for the content included in this IG." | 1. Use as baseline the DAK published by WHO and the WHO L3 SOP to develop the IG in accordance with local policies, guidelines and recommendations. 2. Add the attribution notice mentioned in the previous column to the standard Creative Commons attribution notice and publish the IG under the 3-clause Berkeley BSD license. |
The Implementation guide is licensed under the 3-clause BSD open source licence |
| L3_C: An external organization intends to adapt a WHO IG and create a local version of it based on the local guidelines/policies/recommendations and the WHO L3 SOP as a framework. | WHO IG + WHO L3 SOP | Local guidelines/policies/recommendations | Published L3 for country context (e.g. HIV L3 for Kenya based on WHO HIV L3 IG) | Attribution notice to include in your product: "This implementation guide (IG) was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing L3 FHIR Implementation Guide, available here [URL: https://smart.who.int/ig-starter-kit/index.htm]. WHO is not responsible for the content included in this IG. This IG is an adaptation of the WHO [health domain abbreviation] IG and the original WHO IG can be accessed here [Handle URI to WHO IG]. WHO is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this adaptation." | 1. Use as baseline the IG published by WHO and the WHO L3 SOP to adapt the WHO IG to the local policies, guidelines and recommendations. 2. Add the attribution notice mentioned in the previous column to the standard Creative Commons attribution notice and publish the adapted IG under the 3-clause Berkeley BSD license. |
The Implementation guide is licensed under the 3-clause BSD open source licence |
| L3_D: An external organization uses the WHO L3 SOP to create an IG based on a published WHO DAK (TB L3 based on WHO TB DAK) | WHO DAK + WHO L3 SOP | Not applicable | Published WHO L3 IG for global context | Attribution notice to include in your product: This implementation guide (IG) was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) SMART Guidelines methodology, specifically the WHO Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for developing L3 FHIR Implementation Guide, available here [URL: https://smart.who.int/ig-starter-kit/index.htm] and the WHO Digital Adaptation Kit (DAK) available under the CC BY NC-SA 3.0 IGO license. WHO is not responsible for the content included in this IG, nor the accuracy of this adaptation. | 1. Contact WHO to establish the modality of collaboration. The development of an IG using solely a WHO DAK, which is based on WHO guidelines and other normative products as well as associated publications (including WHO normative guidance, WHO normative products, WHO guidance and their normative statements), should be performed in partnership with WHO. | The Implementation guide is licensed under the 3-clause BSD open source licence |