New Standard for Assessing Health
Status of People with Disabilities
International
Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health
Disability determination is a different assessment than
health determination. For example, the United States determines
disability status to distinguish qualification for civil rights claims,
work disability compensation, or public-funded programs such as
childhood early intervention programs, special education, and Medicaid
or supplemental income. This type of determination however says very
little about the health status of individuals with disabilities.
Beyond disability determination, academics, researchers and clinicians
have considered that people with a "disabling" condition can be healthy
regardless of the disease or disorder involved. To address this issue,
in 2001 after 20 years of refinement, the World Health Organization
General Assembly developed a new health classification system, similar
to the ICD (International Classification of Diseases and Disorders). The
new classification system, 2001
International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.
http://www.who.int helps understand
why two people with the same diagnosed condition have different health
outcomes or experiences. The ICF can be used to assess:
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health status outside of the disabling condition;
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how the environment hinders assistive technology or helps personal
activities; and
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participation and inclusion in society as a critical
part of one's health.
Overall, the conceptual framework established within the new classification
helps define and gather information about various conditions, individual needs,
and long-term consequences of disease, injuries or disorders. The framework:
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provides a scientific basis for understanding and
studying the functional states associated with health conditions;
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establishes common language for health assessments
describing body function, activity, participation, and environment. This
language establishment is to help improve communications among health
care workers, other sectors, and people with disabilities;
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permits comparison of data across countries, health
care disciplines, services and time:
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provides a systematic coding scheme for health
information systems
Both the classification system and the conceptual
framework provide a sound basis for the CDC disability science. The
Disability and Health Team at CDC provided support to the World Health
Organization to help develop various components of the new
classification system including a recently added section to help assess
body function, activities, participation, and environment of children
with disabilities. Information derived through the classification
framework will improve our understanding of health disparities between
people with and without disabilities; and facilitate developing
interventions towards preventing diseases or secondary conditions and
mitigating environmental and societal barriers to health.
ICF Conferences: Body Function,
Activities, Participation, and Environment |
For detailed information and regular updates on the ICF, please
contact Marjorie Greenberg at
MGreenberg@cdc.gov. For information about upcoming and regular
meetings or major conferences with the North American Collaborating
Center ICF, go to
www.icfconferences.com and
http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/icf/index.html.
2008, June9-19. A course on using the ICF-CY. For follow up
information contact the School of Education and Communication,
Sweden.
www.hlk.hj.se/doc/6756
2005, September 8. CDC Seminar on the new ICF
Framework for Children and Youth. International guests presented
the framework and the public health utility of the ICF for children.
For more information, please contact Don Lollar at
DLollar@cdc.gov
2001, October 17. 8th National Disability
Statistics and Policy Forum: Who counts as having a disability?
For more information, contact the Disability Statistics Center at
the University of California at 415/502-5216 or TTY 415/502-5216 OR
the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
2001, June 4-6. United Nations International Seminar on
Measurement of Disability. For more information, contact Ms.
Angela Me at me@un.org
Reminder: December 4 is
"International Day of Disabled Persons" |
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