The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the advance preview of the new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) this week. What has been added to the list?
The International Classification of Diseases list is a culmination of health trends and statistics worldwide, containing almost 55,000 unique codes for injuries, diseases and causes of death.
“The ICD is a product that WHO is truly proud of,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said. “It enables us to understand so much about what makes people get sick and die, and to take action to prevent suffering and save lives.”
When will the ICD-11 be presented?
The new list, which had over 10,000 proposals for revisions, will be presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2019 for adoption by member states and will come into effect on 1 January 2022.
This advance preview gives countries time to:
- Plan how to use the new version;
- Prepare translations; and
- Train health professionals all over the country.
What is inside the ICD-11?
The ICD features new chapters, including one on traditional medicine: although millions of people use traditional medicine worldwide, it has never been classified in this system.
There is another new chapter with a focus on sexual health which brings together conditions that were previously categorised in other ways or described differently.
Also, as reported this week, gaming disorder has also been added, placed under the section on addictive disorders.
What are the benefits of the ICD-11?
Dr Robert Jakob, team leader, classifications terminologies and standards for WHO, said: “A key principle in this revision was to simplify the coding structure and electronic tooling – this will allow healthcare professionals to more easily and completely record conditions.”
Dr Lubna Alansari, WHO’s assistant director general for health metrics and measurement, concluded: “ICD is a cornerstone of health information, and ICD-11 will deliver an up-to-date view of the patterns of disease.”
You can read the advance preview here.
