Use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in Brain Injury Rehabilitation

In 1887 a book titled “The International Language” was published by Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof in Warsaw. In the introductory part the famous inventor of Esperanto stated: “How much time, labour, and money are wasted in translating the literary productions of one nation into the language of another, and yet, if we rely on translations alone, we can only become acquainted with a tiny part of foreign literature. If an international language existed, all the translations would have been made into it alone, as into a tongue intelligible to everybody, and works of an international character would be written directly in it. The Chinese wall dividing literatures would disappear, and the works of other nations would be as readily intelligible to us as those of our own authors. Books being the same for everyone, education, ideals, convictions, aims, would be the same too” (Zamenhof, 1887). Decades after with the development of rehabilitation medicine as an independent discipline it turned out that it faced virtually the same problems and hopes: “Chinese walls” in the communication among professionals of different specialties involved in rehabilitation of the same person, the possibility to “become acquainted with a tiny part of foreign literature” due to the language barriers and different national standards in different countries and even within the same country. All this resulting in “much time, labour, and money wasted” that could have been used more efficiently for a good cause of the patient. The situation changed in 2001 with the unanimous approval by the World Health Assembly of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (WHO, 2001). The main purpose of the classification is exactly to provide a common language for professionals working in health-related areas and establish an international standard for description of health-related states including brain injury rehabilitation. The ICF model and classification are briefly introduced below.