International Classification of Diseases
Versions
ICD is the foundation for the identification of health trends and statistics globally, and the international standard for reporting diseases and health conditions. It is the diagnostic classification standard for all clinical and research purposes. ICD defines the universe of diseases, disorders, injuries and other related health conditions, listed in a comprehensive, hierarchical fashion that allows for:
Easy storage, retrieval and analysis of health information for evidenced-based decision-making; sharing and comparing health information hospitals, regions, settings and countries; and data comparisons in the same location across different time periods. Uses include monitoring of the incidence and prevalence of diseases, observing reimbursements and resource allocation trends, and keeping track of safety and quality guidelines. They also include the counting of deaths as well as diseases, injuries, symptoms, reasons for encounter, factors that influence health status, and external causes of disease.
For a standardized comparison of the patient’s clinical status, a number of clinical scales are well accepted. While many scales were validated in other fields of medicine, they are widely used also in neurosurgery. The definition of a neurosurgical indication and a neurosurgical intervention is more difficult. Local health care authorities use the International Classification of Diseases for indications (ICD-10).