The International Classification of Primary Care: capturing and sorting clinical information

The International Classification of Primary Care-2 (ICPC-2) is the result of forty years of continuous development. It originates in the second half of the twentieth century after the concern of general practitioners about the need to record and encode data specifically related to primary care, both in the reasons for encounter and procedures and conditions or diagnoses. The World Health Organization endorsed the classification, as did the developer committee after the Alma Ata meeting, since it also identified specific needs. Two forms of use are employed now in gathering information: by encounter or by an episode of care. The latter is more complex and controversial. Recently, an eleventh version of the International Classification of Diseases has been released, and the third edition of ICPC is being developed. One cannot predict how new technologies, classifications, and international organizations will interact. The role of front line health professionals and patients will define the course.