International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Revision of ICD

The ICD has become the international standard diagnostic classification for all general epidemiological and many health management purposes. These include the analysis of the general health situation of population groups and monitoring of the incidence and prevalence of diseases and other health problems in relation to other variables such as the characteristics and circumstances of the individuals affected. It is used to classify diseases and other health problems recorded on many types of health and vital records including death certificates and hospital records. In addition to enabling the storage and retrieval of diagnostic information for clinical and epidemiological purposes, these records also provide the basis for the compilation of national mortality and morbidity statistics by WHO Member States Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/ICDRevision/en/index.html The design of the ICD has a direct impact on health care. It influences public health programmes, prevention, reimbursement and treatment. Countries use it to compile basic health statistics and to monitor health spending. To compare findings between countries, a common standard is needed. Emerging diseases and scientific developments, advances in service delivery, and changes in health information systems require a revision of ICD. One major need is to improve the relevance of the ICD in primary care settings. Another key driver is the development of computerized health information systems. It is envisaged that there will be three distinct versions of the new ICD-11: a succinct version for use in primary care, a detailed version for use in speciality settings and an advanced version for use in research