Measuring disability: the role of the ICIDH

The ICIDH definition of disability has ensured that disability is treated as a continuous variable and therefore as a measurable concept. Even though the suggestions made in the ICIDH for the measurement of severity of disability are applicable only in certain contexts, the ICIDH classification of disabilities, when used flexibly, contributes greatly to the identification of the disabilities whose severities should be measured in both rehabilitation medicine and health interview surveys. There is still a great need to identify and devise instruments which measure the severity of many particular disabilities to an appropriate level of accuracy. Nevertheless, as the reduction of handicap is the ultimate aim of both health service planning and rehabilitation medicine, it is fight that the description and measurement of handicap should be the first priority.