The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets: Application to a postmenopausal woman with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis of the spine

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework facilitates systematic assessment of functioning across four components. ICF Core Sets are proposed to be beneficial for clinicians in multidisciplinary care settings because they provide a common language for communication. A clinical vignette of a postmenopausal woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a non-traumatic vertebral fracture is presented to discuss how the ICF Core Sets for RA and osteoporosis (OP) can be helpful in structuring clinical decisions. To demonstrate how condition-specific ICF Core Sets can be used to evaluate and treat women with two comorbidities, each component of the ICF Core Sets is compared across conditions and integrated into clinical decision-making. Topics covered include: exercise tolerance, urinary continence, bone mass, fear of falling, and environmental factors. The benefits of thorough communication with the client and a common language across healthcare disciplines are highlighted as the potential benefits of the ICF framework; however, limitations to uptake of the ICF in clinical practice are also addressed.