Abstract
World Health Organization (WHO) is the prima United Nations’ health organization mandated to ensure a healthy living for citizens of the member nations. With its headquarter situated at Geneva, WHO is served with a global responsibility of setting health standards worldwide, together with carrying out researches and ultimately offering recommendations on the containments of various ailments in the world. For effectiveness, WHO is ordered into classes commonly known as the WHO family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC). The WHO-FIC is made up of the Reference Classification, Derived Classification and Related Classification. This paper explores Reference Classification subclasses- International Classification of Diseases (ICD), International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) - of the WHO-FIC by describing their roles and giving two examples for each.
Keywords: World Health Organization (WHO), International Classification of Diseases (ICD), International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI)
World Health Organization
WHO is a specialized agency in the United Nations established in 7th April 1948, with the aim of ultimate attainment of the highest level of health by the people and appropriate range of terms for the health field across the world (Burci & Vignes, 2004). The formation of the constitution to run the organization was in tandem with the development of the organization, and it included regulations and nomenclatures that helped in developing and defining the principles that oversee the adoption of classification as a constituent of WHO family (Burci & Vignes, 2004). The Reference classification of the WHO family of international classification is subdivided into three constituents with distinct characteristics and functions.
The WHO-FIC is made up of three components, which aid in the layout of a universal approach to the classification of diseases. They include; Reference classification that deals with the core parameters of the health systems, derived and related classifications, based on the structure and espousal of the reference classification. The reference classification is subdivided into three constituents; International Classification of Diseases (ICD), International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), and International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI). ICD embraces and permits the unique coding of diseases that assist in the categorization and diagnosis of diseases. In light with this, system is designed for the morbidity, mortality and indexing of diseases in a health facility (Pol & Thomas, 2001). Examples in this classification include significant categories of diseases like diseases of the nervous system and sense organ, and diseases of the circulatory system.
ICF is another classification based on health and the realms of health, which consists of body, an individual and society. The structure of the ICF, appraises health and disability of both individuals and the society, taking into consideration the functioning and the structure of the body (Lollar & Andresen, 2011). The examples in this classification include the mainstreaming of disability and the promotion of health and health outcomes.
The third classification is ICHI, which covers the medical interventions such therapies, surgeries and diagnostics. The uttermost intent of this classification is to outfit the researchers and health care associates with a common basis for reporting and analyzing the distribution of health interventions for statistical justification (Weller 2010).
References
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