[The practical application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in medical rehabilitation of psychiatric patients].

The WHO Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health enables the description of functional health, disability and impairment on an international and interdisciplinary level in a common language. The fundamental underlying assumption of this Classification, which is orientated around a bio-psycho-social model of health and impairment, has been accepted by rehabilitation scientists in general. Unfortunately, the WHO does not make any recommendations as to how this classification could be applied in practice. In this article, various problems are outlined which could occur when the ICF is applied. Furthermore an example from a psychiatric rehabilitation institution illustrates the way the ICF could serve as an instrument for an extensive rehabilitation management programme. Here, Stucki's use will be made of Rehab-Cycle model. This describes a comprehensive sequence of steps which help analyse the patients problems from a patient-centred standpoint, to set up a schedule for treatment and to evaluate the results. Within Stucki's model the ICF is used as a system to analyse problems upon which intervention can be set. This method is illustrated with an example from a rehabilitation case. Summarizing, it is pointed out that through easier communication (as a result of the ICF) interdisciplinary productivity and efficiency will increase. On this basis it is possible to achieve a more comprehensive multimodal approach in the treatment of people suffering from psychic impairments or disability.