New International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
The Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly, during its meeting on May 22, 2001, unanimously approved the resolution on the 2nd edition of the classification of functioning, disability and health. During the session, 16 countries and also the World Confederation on Physical Therapy (WCPT), on behalf of non-governmental organizations, took the floor and supported the document.
The resolution has been ratified with a single change: The new acronym will be ICF (and CIF in Spanish and French), not ICIDH-2 as it had been called before.
Accordingly to Dr. T. Bedirhan Üstün, one of the main actors on the WHO commission that reviewed the classification, "ICF‡ integrates the social and environmental aspects of disability and health. We hope it has been a forward step in establishing a culturally applicable operational tool covering the whole life span."
WHA Resolution Text
The Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly,
-
ENDORSES the second edition of the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH), with the title International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, henceforth referred to in short as ICF;
-
URGES Member States to use the ICF in their research, surveillance and reporting as appropriate, taking into account specific situations in Member States and, in particular, in view of possible future revisions;
-
REQUESTS the Director-General to provide support to Member States, at their request, in making use of ICF.
Language Versions
The English version of the ICF is already available and translation to the other WHO official languages is currently undergoing editorial review. The publication of the various versions is scheduled for September 2001.
For more information, please contact:
Nenad Kostanjsek, Technical Officer
Classification, Assessment, Surveys and Terminology (CAS)
Department of Evidence for Health Policy
World Health Organization
Geneva Switzerland CH-1211
Tel: +41.22.791.3242
Fax: +41.22.791.4894
e-mail: kostanjsekn@who.int
website: http://www.who.int/icidh
|
