Development of ICF Core Sets to standardize assessment of functioning and impairment in ADHD: the path ahead.

Sven Bölte,Martin Holtmann,Elles De Schipper,Melissa Selb,Petrus J De Vries,Rosemary Tannock,Sunil Karande

doi:10.1007/s00787-013-0496-5

Abstract

In the study of health and quality of life in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is of paramount importance to include assessment of functioning. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a comprehensive, universally accepted framework for the description of functioning in relation to health conditions. In this paper, the authors outline the process to develop ICF Core Sets for ADHD. ICF Core Sets are subgroups of ICF categories selected to capture the aspects of functioning that are most likely to be affected in specific disorders. The ICF categories that will be included in the ICF Core Sets for ADHD will be determined at an ICF Core Set Consensus Conference, wherein evidence from four preliminary studies (a systematic review, an expert survey, a patient and caregiver qualitative study, and a clinical cross-sectional study) will be integrated. Comprehensive and Brief ICF Core Sets for ADHD will be developed with the goal of providing useful standards for research and clinical practice, and to generate a common language for the description of functioning in ADHD in different areas of life and across the lifespan.

Highlights

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of complex origin, with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 5.3 % [1]
The objective of this paper is to describe and preview the development process of these ICF Core Sets for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
The information collected during the preparatory phase will be presented at an international consensus conference, planned to be held in 2016, where a group of 21–25 experts in the field of ADHD from all World Health Organization (WHO) regions will follow a formal decision-making process to arrive at a consensus on the ICF(-CY) categories to be included in the Comprehensive and Brief ICF Core Sets for ADHD

Summary

Background

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of complex origin, with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 5.3 % [1]. The multiaxial classification of a disorder in ICD-10 [12]/DSMIV-TR [13] includes a global rating of psychosocial and functional problems, the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), and DSM-5 introduces a new system for assessing functional impairment independent of diagnostic symptoms, the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), these tools do not provide a comprehensive profile of an individual’s level of functioning in face of a certain disorder. The concept of functioning is introduced explicitly in the biopsychosocial model which forms the framework of the ICF [15] According to this model, an individual’s level of functioning is the outcome of a complex interaction between a health condition, body functions and structures, activities and participation, environmental factors, and personal factors. ICF Core Sets have already been developed for 24 conditions (see Table 1), two of which for mental health conditions, namely depression and bipolar disorder

Aim of this project

Methods

Discussion