The objective of this study was to investigate, whether the International Classification of Functioning, Disablity and Health (ICF) comprehensively covers the spectrum of health problems encountered by medical doctors and physiotherapists in patients with musculoskeletal conditions. A worldwide e-mail survey with questionnaires that requested lists of relevant areas in the ICF components—body functions, body structures, activities and participation, and environmental factors—in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, low back pain and osteoporosis was conducted. The authors concluded that the ICF covers comprehensively the spectrum of problems encountered in patients with musculoskeletal conditions by clinical experts throughout the world.
Rheumatology 2006 45(10):1247-1254