At the onset of this new decade, we have several topics to discuss. But the first term that sparks up in our heads would be ‘disease.’ You cannot possibly block the image of the pandemic’s impact on the world when hearing of the year 2020. This can be deemed the right time for this discussion as more people have become health conscious over the past few months. Diseases and pandemics are now looked upon with more apprehension, making it imperative for everyone to learn about the different classifications so that you understand the risks you may be exposed to in each situation. The International Classification of Diseases is a list compiled and frequently updated by the World Health Organization. Let us look at this classification in detail.
What is the ICD?
No educated person would be unfamiliar with the organization named WHO. It is the one that handles international health issues and concerns by holding the central power in the system. The scientists and other professionals at the World Health Organization have contributed their best to every challenging situation in the history of epidemics. Though WHO was founded in 1948, the ICD was compiled and released in 1992. Major updates have resulted in several revisions over the years. This list categorizes not only diseases but also the signs, complaints, social circumstances, and symptoms that the public needs to know. Health conditions are mapped using this system and are designated a code based on their roots and other scientific findings. ICD is considered one of the WHO’s major projects, classifying the possible diseases in particular living conditions. The periodical revision has given the ICD around 11 versions in the last eighteen years.
Purposes of Having the ICD
Health trends can be identified with the ICD, and it also helps in setting the statistics right across the world. An international standard is also developed so that the health conditions and diseases can be reported accordingly. ICD is not just a classification standard for the diagnoses provided but is a defining component of the various disorders and diseases. This will all contribute to the complete picture of the organization’s works and provide for the easy storage and analysis of health information. It also enables efficient methods to share and compare health information between regions, hospitals, and other countries. Some of the purposes ICD is used as a tool include:
- Embedding the important guidelines.
- Maintaining the primary care settings.
- Recording and reporting rare diseases.
- Finding and studying the causes of death.
- Monitoring the spread of communicable diseases and their incidence.
- Finding the external causes of an illness.
- Setting up codes for antimicrobial diseases and other conditions.
- A different approach towards the coding for traditional medicine diagnoses.
- Documentation of patient safety through coding patterns that adhere to the WHO standards.
- Medicaments and chemicals are also added to the list.