About this Research Topic

Background

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, known more commonly as ICF, was proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 22 May 2001 and it was officially endorsed by all 191 WHO Member States. Therefore, ICF is adopted as the international standard to describe and measure health and disability. Some of the objectives of the ICF include: to provide a unified and standard language and framework for the description of health and health-related states; to provide a scientific basis for understanding and studying health and health-related states, outcomes and determinants; to establish a common language for describing health and health-related states in order to improve communication between different users, such as health care workers, researchers, policy-makers and the public, including people with disabilities; to permit comparison of data across countries, health care disciplines, services and time.

The burden of disability caused by neurological diseases is increasingly being recognized as a global public health challenge, and this burden is set to rise during the next few decades. The large and increasing burden of neurological diseases is driven by global population growth and ageing. In this context, healthcare professionals who care persons with neurological diseases are challenged every day in their clinical practice to think and to act based on a biopsychosocial model. This implies developing clinical reasoning and practice in order to avoid gaps between speech and practice. In this sense, health professionals are encouraged to implement health services considering functioning from both the biological perspective (body systems and body structures) and the perspective of the, functioning (activities and participation) taking into account environmental factors that affect both the underlying the health condition and the lived experience of the client/patient.

This Research Topic aims to provide readers with information on ICF aspects including, but not limited to, ICF-based tools (statistical or clinical or social policy or educational tools) for use with people with neurological disease in different areas (administration, biology, economics, physical therapy, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, social worker, speech therapy, among others).

In order to reinforce ICF values as gold standard in health services, we invite investigators to submit manuscripts comprising basic or clinical research based on ICF components:
- Functioning and Disability (body functions & structure, activities and participation)
- Contextual factors (environmental and personal factors).

We accept original papers such as case series, randomized and non-randomized clinical trials, study protocols, systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis), validation studies (measurement properties), qualitative and quantitative studies. All papers to be submitted to this research topic must include ICF aspects and neurological diseases.

Keywords: Neurorehabilitation, ICF, functioning, Healthcare, Neurological Disease

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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