Development of a Swedish Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for adult patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is a phenomenon that attracts a lot of attention in society today. Advances in research have made it clear that many conditions that make people seek medical and psychiatric care may have pervasive deficits in attention, motor control and impulsivity at their roots. Since ADHD in adults is a relatively new and very versatile concept, there is a great need for systemized classification of the ramifications of the deficit that extends into every aspect of these patients’ lives. Aims: To develop a Swedish Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for adult patients with ADHD. Methods: A national expert survey was conducted using the Delphi technique and a formal consensus conference. Forty-two experts from different professions and organizations, including psychiatrists and physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, a counsellor, a specialist nurse, representatives from a patient organization and representatives from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, participated in the Delphi process and 28 participants from the expert group attended the consensus conference. Results: At the formal consensus conference, 66 categories from the ICF were identified and included in the national Comprehensive Core Set for ADHD: 21 categories from the component body functions, 26 categories from the component activities and participation, and 19 categories from the component environmental factors. Conclusion: The Comprehensive Core Set for ADHD should be regarded as national and preliminary, and should be further tested and evaluated by experts in ADHD in clinical settings in Sweden.