[The international classification of functioning, disability and health. Potential applications in Germany]

The ICF is a new classification for the description of disease consequences and with health conditions associated phenomena. It is complementary to the presently established classification of diseases (ICD). Prior to endorsement by the World Health Assembly in Mai 2001, the ICF was taken up in legislation and regulations of the German health system. The importance and the potential of the ICF are not only reflected within laws, but also in the practical work with patients and within the documentation. Although the official German translation was only available starting in October 2005, much training material already exists. Most of the material and publications were made from a rehabilitation perspective. However, this does not imply that the ICF should be exclusively applied to rehabilitation alone. ICF is a multipurpose classification designed to serve various disciplines and different sectors. There are many possible applications, and many projects have been initiated for use in policy, patient care, documentation, communication and research.