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The ICF: Applications of the WHO model of functioning, disability and health to brain injury rehabilitation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Bilbao, Alvaroa | Kennedy, Cilleb; * | Chatterji, Somnathc | Üstün, Bedirhanc | Barquero, José Luis Vásquezd | Barth, Jeffrey T.e

Affiliations: [a] Neuropsicólogo, Centro Estatal de Atención al Daão Cerebral, Madrid, Spain | [b] Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy, Washington, DC, USA | [c] Classification, Assessment, Surveys and Terminology, Global Programme on Evidence for Health Policy, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland | [d] Unidad de Investigación en Psiquiatría Clínica y Social, Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain | [e] John Edward Fowler Professor, Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Cille Kennedy, Ph.D., DHHS/DALTCP – Room 424E, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201, USA. Tel.: +1 202 260 0370; Fax: +1 202 401 7733; E-mail: [email protected]. Any views expressed by the author in this paper do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, USA

Keywords: ICF, brain injury rehabilitation, WHO, classification, participation, contextual factors

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-2003-18308

Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 239-250, 2003

Published: 10 September 2003
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Abstract

The traditional disease and diagnostic medical model is not always useful to brain injury professionals who need to describe, measure, and compare deficits associated with neurologic insult. Professionals in neurorehabilitation are in need of new systems that will assist them in identifying impairments and areas of intervention. The aim of this article is to present the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and its applications to brain injury rehabilitation. This taxonomy, developed by the WHO, allows the classification and assessment of functioning and disability in everyday activities and social involvement for individuals with medical conditions. Multi-disciplinary teams from 65 countries have collaborated in the development of the ICF to develop a tool that serves different purposes and disciplines with high trans-cultural validity. It can be of great value for professionals working in the field of brain injury who need to describe and quantify in detail neurocognitive, emotional, and sensory-motor functions as well as their impact on activities and participation in life situations. Its applications also extend to the domains of epidemiology, public health and public policy.

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