20 Years of ICF—International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Uses and Applications around the World

Abstract

The International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) was approved in 2001 and, since then, several studies reported the increased interest about its use in different sectors. A recent overview that summarizes its applications is lacking. This study aims to provide an updated overview about 20 years of ICF application through an international online questionnaire, developed by the byline authors, and sent to each World Health Organization Collaborating Centers of the Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC CCs). Data was collected during October 2020 and December 2021 and descriptive content analyses were used to report main results. Results show how, in most of the respondent countries represented by WHO-FIC CCs, ICF was mainly used in clinical practice, policy development and social policy, and in education areas. Despite its applications in different sectors, ICF use is not mandatory in most countries but, where used, it provides a biopsychosocial framework for policy development in health, functioning and disability. The study provides information about the needs related to ICF applications, that can be useful to organize targeted intervention plans. Furthermore, this survey methodology can be re-proposed periodically to monitor the use of the ICF in the future.

Pulmonary important outcomes after extremely preterm birth: Parental perspectives

“…The respondents in our study reported needing information about function rather than diagnoses, which mirrors a paradigm shift in areas of research in child disability and health using the ICF framework (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health). 12 They report on the impact lung disease has on their child's function (and often the function of the whole family) rather than report a diagnosis. Informing parents in the NICU that their extremely preterm infant has a diagnosis of chronic lung disease, or BPD, may not be very useful.…”

Global and regional prevalence of disabilities among children and adolescents: Analysis of findings from global health databases

“…The biopsychosocial model was later introduced to address the limitations of the medical model in recognizing the psychological, social, and behavioral dimensions of a medical condition ( 43 , 44 ), and became the focus of the ICF. However, the ICF was never intended to replace the medical model but to enhance it ( 45 ). While it may be easier to elicit functional difficulties through household surveys, such responses do not provide a pathway for the effective care of children with disabilities within the health systems ( 37 ).…”

Indicators and Instruments to Assess Components of Disability in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review

“…The usage of technologies in the different instruments to evaluate disability, such as wearables [ 86 ] or optoelectronic systems [ 34 ], for assessing ICF domains could improve the objectivity of the measures, be cost-effective and decrease assessment time. Even the implementation of the ICF coding itself can be improved by using health technology [ 103 ], as its information technology infrastructure for documenting, coding, and reporting has been identified as poor [ 104 ]. There were several indicators, and instruments, that presented an association with age only in one of the included studies.…”