The ICF comprehensively covers the spectrum of health problems encountered by health professionals in patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to investigate, whether the International Classification of Functioning, Disablity and Health (ICF) comprehensively covers the spectrum of health problems encountered by medical doctors and physiotherapists in patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

METHODS

A worldwide e-mail survey with questionnaires that requested lists of relevant areas in the ICF components-body functions, body structures, activities and participation, and environmental factors-in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, low back pain and osteoporosis was conducted. The suitability of linking the named concepts to the ICF as well as the precision of the linking was characterized by assigning the concepts to six groups.

RESULTS

All concepts that were named by the experts could be linked to the ICF, with the exception of personal factors. Between 32% (environmental factors) and 51% (activities and participation) of the named concepts were linked to an ICF category with an identical meaning and the same grade of precision. All other named concepts were linked to ICF categories with a lower level of precision, or encompassed more than one ICF category, or were linked to an ICF category with a related, but not identical meaning.

CONCLUSIONS

The ICF covers comprehensively the spectrum of problems encountered in patients with musculoskeletal conditions by clinical experts throughout the world. This strengthens the validity of the ICF in the view of the users and will encourage the use of ICF-based applications such as the ICF checklist and the now-developed ICF Core Sets.