Document type: Journal article Research report/Study
Publication title: Application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version - ICF-CY - to Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective:

In recent health policy discussions, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged member states to implement the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) in their clinical practice and research. The purpose of this study was to identify codes from the ICF-CY relevant for use among children with Cleft Lip and Palate (CL/P), thereby showing the value of these codes for interprofessional Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Teams.

Design:

The authors conducted a 5-step consensus procedure by studying the ICF-CY, its background literature and the current state of CL/P, identifying meaningful terms, developing a consensus-based list of terms, linking these terms separately to ICF-CY categories/codes and finally providing a consensus-based list of ICF-CY categories/codes, which constitutes the first draft of a CL/P ICF-CY core set in a preparatory phase.

Conclusions:

Adopting ICF-CY domains in CL/P can aid experts in identifying appropriate starting points for assessment, counseling, and therapy. When used as a clinical tool, it encourages going beyond patient perspectives that are focused solely on the client. The ICF-CY favors an expanded ecological perspective - in this case supporting a view of children that accounts for their environment and their familial/societal context. In order to establish improved, evidence-based interdisciplinary treatments for children with CL/P, more studies are needed that seek to identify all the influencing conditions of activities, children's participation and barriers/facilitators in their environments.