Abstract
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has endorsed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework to be integrated into physical therapist practice. The ICF is a universal and inclusive platform for the understanding of health and disability and a comprehensive classification system for describing functioning. The APTA's Guide to Physical Therapist Practice was designed to guide patient management, given the different settings and health conditions that physical therapists encounter in their daily clinical practice. However, physical therapists may be unclear as to how to concretely apply the ICF in their clinical practice and to translate the application in a way that is meaningful to them and to their patients. This perspective article proposes ways to integrate the ICF and the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice to facilitate clinical documentation by physical therapists.
Footnotes
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Dr Escorpizo, Professor Stucki, Dr Cieza, and Dr Riddle provided concept/idea. All authors provided writing and reviewed the manuscript before submission. Professor Stucki, Dr Cieza, and Dr Riddle provided consultation. The authors thank the Case Study Group at the Swiss Paraplegic Research for sharing their perspectives on the manuscript. Special thanks to Professor Jerome Bickenbach and Alexandra Rauch for their comments on the manuscript prior to submission.
- Received October 6, 2009.
- Accepted February 25, 2010.
- © 2010 American Physical Therapy Association