International Classification Of Functioning, Disability...

Introduction The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, also know more commonly as ICF was originally proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for trial purposes in 1980 and was known as the International Classification of Impairment, Disability and Handicap (ICIDH) (reference). The ICIDH aimed to provide a cohesive and consistent language tool for the classification of the consequences of disease and the implications for the individuals involved (reference). However, as times changed and more was understood about the individuality in which people cope with disabilities and the relationship that exists between the interaction of a person’s environment and their wellbeing, various revisions of the ICIDH†¦show more content†¦(reference) With this revision, The World Health Organization aimed for the ICF to create a standardized language for health professionals and to look beyond the idea of a purely medical or biological conceptualization of dysf unction and take into account the other critical aspects of disability, therefore creating a biopsychosocial model of disability, combining both social and medical models of disability. (reference) ICF Framework The ICF framework is divided into four key components that look into the interaction and interrelation between the individual and their environmental surroundings. In ICF, functioning and disability are multi-dimensional concepts relating these four components. 1. Body functions referring to the physiological and psychological functioning of body systems. Body structures encompassing the anatomical parts of the body such as organs, limbs and their components 2. Activities comprising of the execution of task or actions by an individual and includes the activity limitations the individual may experience in executing such activities. Participation denotes the involvement in life situation for an individual and contains participation restriction an individual may experience in involvement in life situations. (reference) 3. Environmental factors encompass the physical, social and attitudinal environment in which people live and include the social attitudes,