Classifying diseases to map the way we live and die

#InternationalClassificationofDiseases; #WorldHealthOrganisation; #mappinghumancondition; #traditionalmedicine, #sexualhealth; #gamingdisorder

Ottawa, Jun 22 (Canadian-Media): A new version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) has been released this week by World Health Organisation (WHO).

The ICD maps the human condition from birth to death and codes any injury or disease we encounter in life including anything we might die of.

​The ICD is made up of thousands of codes that are used around the world to classify diseases and conditions, and generate statistics.

These statistics are used to monitor health trends, plan how services are delivered and make financing decisions about health systems.

​The importance of ICD for global health can be clearly demonstrated from the following video:​

It had taken over a decade for this electronic version of the ICD to be completed and this version of the ICD reflects progress in medicine and advances in scientific understanding.

New chapters on traditional medicine and sexual health has been added to this electronic version of the ICD and  “gaming disorder” has been added to the section on addictive disorders.   

The ICD provides a common vocabulary for recording, reporting and monitoring health problems in a world of 7.4 billion people speaking nearly 7000 languages.

Fifty years ago, it would be reportedly unlikely that a disease such as schizophrenia would be diagnosed similarly in Japan, Kenya and Brazil.

Now, however, if a doctor in another country cannot read a person’s medical records, they will know what the ICD code means.