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released: 10 Oct 2003 media release

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) supports the collection of data on functioning and disability, in areas including population health and disability surveys, disability and aged care services, rehabilitation and allied health services. The AIHW, as a Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organization, has been involved for the last decade with the preparation of the ICF.The Australian ICF User Guide is intended to be a complement to the ICF classification itself, to assist Australian users to understand the classification, to inform them about current and potential applications and to provide advice on 'getting started'. It is designed for those wanting to find out more about the practical use of the ICF in Australia or planning to use the ICF.

ISSN 1444-3589; ISBN 978 1 74024 316 2; Cat. no. DIS 33; 146pp.; OUT OF PRINT

  • Publication

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material (143KB PDF)
    • Title and verso pages (HTML)
    • Contents
    • List of tables, appendix tables, figures and boxes
    • Acknowledgments (HTML)
    • Abbreviations (HTML)
  • Sections
    • 1. Purpose and outline (HTML, 197KB PDF)
      • 1.1 Introduction
      • 1.2 Purposes of the User Guide
      • 1.3 For whom is the User Guide written?
      • 1.4 What are the uses of the ICF?
      • 1.5 What is in this User Guide?
    • 2. Overview of the ICF (HTML)
      • 2.1 Components of the ICF
      • 2.2 Classifications and codes
      • 2.3 The ICF and the WHO family of international classifications
      • 2.4 History and development of the ICF
      • 2.5 Overview of potential and intended uses
    • 3. Benefits and uses of the ICF for Australia (HTML, 147KB PDF)
      • 3.1 Concerns about definition and classification
      • 3.2 Benefits of definition and classification
      • 3.3 Past and emerging uses
      • 3.4 The future
    • 4. Getting started: general advice on use (HTML, 210KB PDF)
    • 5. Activities and Participation: application in Australia (HTML)
      • 5.1 Activities and Participation in the ICF
      • 5.2 Approaches to delineating Activities and Participation
      • 5.3 Splitting the domains to delineate Activities and Participation- option (a)
      • 5.4 Using the qualifiers as the basis for delineating Activities and Participation - options (b) and (d)
      • 5.5 Qualifiers for Activities and Participation - and A-P delineation
      • 5.6 The 'information matrix'
      • 5.7 Moving forward on measurement and the qualifiers
      • 5.8 Advice to users- and how to contribute to national development by recording use in a 'test template'
    • 6. Environmental factors (HTML, 167KB PDF)
      • 6.1 Environmental factors and the ICF
      • 6.2 Coding conventions and qualifiers
      • 6.3 Current applications
    • 7. The ICF and Australian data dictionaries (HTML)
      • 7.1 The ICF as a framework for national disability data
      • 7.2 Moving towards national consistency
      • 7.3 The ICF and national disability data elements
      • 7.4 Using the national disability data elements
    • 8. Disability identifiers (HTML, 86KB PDF)
    • 9. Personal factors (HTML)
    • 10. ICF applications - examples (HTML, 275KB PDF)
      • 10.1 Applying the ICF to a national disability services data collection
      • 10.2 The use of the ICF framework in an allied health outcome measure: Australian Therapy Outcome Measures (AusTOMs)
      • 10.3 The ICF and classification for disability athletics
      • 10.4 The ICF and accident compensation in Australia
      • 10.5 The ICF and speech pathology
      • 10.6 The ICF and Rett Syndrome
      • 10.7 Classification of support and need
      • 10.8 The Handicap Assessment and Resource Tool (HART) and the ICF
      • 10.9 The ICF and oral health
  • End matter
    • 11. Links and references (HTML, 166KB PDF)
    • 11.1 Links
    • 11.2 References

Recommended citation

AIHW 2003. ICF Australian user guide version 1.0. Disability Series. Cat. no. DIS 33. Canberra: AIHW.