Preliminary experiences with WHO's ICIDH; a user's report

A simple feasibility study of the ICIDH was conducted: 1148 patients were classified by their physician, the opinion of the physicians about the feasibility of the ICIDH was recorded, and finally 21 patients were classified twice to assess reliability. The results suggest that the I code is feasible for patients with locomotor disorders. The use of the D code presented several problems. It is very time-consuming and reliability of D code assignments seems to be low. The feasibility of the D code can probably be improved if the numerical framework is reshaped. The H code seems to allow for simple meaningful scorings, although we tended to use it as a substitute for the impractical D code, rather than as an indicator of handicap.