Hamzeh Jamil Awad
The “Comprehensive ICF Core Set for Diabetes Mellitus“ is an application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and represents the typical spectrum of problems in functioning in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) are a framework for describing and organizing information on functioning and disability. It provides a standard language and a conceptual basis for the definition and measurement of health and disability. The aim of this study is to present a call to action framework using validated ICF Core Set for DM from the perspectives of physical therapists (PT) in Health Information System (HIS). Twenty-two PTs, from 11 countries, answered 1st round, 23 PTs completed the second and third Delphi rounds. PTs reached consensus on 49 ICF categories. 36/49 (73%) ICF categories are represented in the ICF Core Set for DM, while 13/49 (27%) categories are not represented in the ICF Core Set for DM. 5 concepts were linked to the ICF component of Personal Factors, which is not yet classified into detailed categories. The validity of the ICF Core Set for DM from the perspective of PTs was supported. The ICF appears to provide an effective framework for PTs in the field of DM. Therefore, it is worth using such framework in HIS and applies it in clinical practice (fig1).
