Using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps in Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Health status, although commonly defined in terms of the presence or absence of disease, can also be defined in terms of performance or functional status. Loss of performance results in disablement. The authors summarize the conceptual framework and categorization in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH) (1980) and the Model of Occupational Performance in the Guidelines for the Client-Centred Practice of Occupational Therapy (Health and Welfare Canada and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, 1983; 1986). Complementary elements of the ICIDH and the Model of Occupational Performance appear to be recognition that performance is an element of holistic health influenced by the social, physical and cultural environment. Also, the ICIDH categories of disablement appear to be conceptually mirrored in the model's categories of occupational performance. The authors use client and service data to illustrate three uses of the ICIDH in occupational therapy: communication with other health professionals; program planning and management; and, clinical evaluation and research.