World Health Organization Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC)

World Health Organization

The WHO Collaborating Centre for the Family of International Classifications

The AIHW is WHO Collaborating Centre for the Family of International Classifications. The Director is Head of Centre. The Network of WHO Collaborating Centres meet annually to further the development, implementation and maintenance of the WHO Family of International Classifications.

The WHO Family of International Classifications

The WHO Family of International Classifications comprises chiefly of those classifications that have been prepared by the World Health Organization, or other groups on its behalf, and approved by the Organization's governing bodies. It also includes those classifications on similar subjects that are derived from or related to the international classifications and are primarily, but not solely used for regional or national purposes. The Institute provides the Chair and Secretariat for the Family Development Committee. The Committee is responsible for developing the WHO-FIC (link to matrix in future) and recommending classifications for membership of the Family.

The aims of the WHO-FIC are to:

• provide a logical framework for the definition and management of health conditions;
• establish a common language to improve communication;
• permit comparisons of data across countries, health care disciplines, services and time;
• provide systematic coding schemes for health information systems; and
• stimulate research on health conditions.

Reference Members of the WHO Family of International Classifications 

• The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Version 10 (Australian Modification ICD-10-AM) is used for mortality statistics, hospital morbidity statistics and hospital medical record indexing. The National Centre for Classification in Health maintains the Australian modification ICD-10-AM.
• The International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) was endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2001. The AIHW is undertaking a program of work to implement the classification in Australian data collections.
  More information

Related members of the WHO Family of International Classifications

• The International Classification of External Causes of Injury (ICECI). The AIHW National Injury Surveillance Unit provides Australian input.
• International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) The AIHW Australian General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre provides Australian input. More information.
• Technical aids for persons with disabilities-Classification and Terminology (ISO9999). More information.
• Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system and Defined Daily Dose (DDD). More information.

WHO-FIC Network Meetings

The Network of WHO Collaborating Centres meet annually to further the progress on development of the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC). The 2007 meeting is to be held in Trieste, Italy 28 October - 3 November 2007. The discussion papers for this meeting are available below.  Meeting materials from previous meetings can be also be accessed below.

2007 Meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres	Trieste, Italy
2006 Meeting of WHO collaborating Centres	Tunis, Tunisia
2005 Meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres	Tokyo, Japan
2004 Meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres	Reykjavik, Iceland
2003 Meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres	Cologne, Germany
2002 Meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia A complete zipped file of all meeting and post-meeting materials for the 2002 Network Meeting. (12.3M)
2001 Meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres	Bethesda, Maryland USA

For further information contact, email or tel. +61 2 6244 1241.

Last reviewed by on 24 August 2007