Functioning and Disability
Ryu Ishimoto, PhD
Lecturer
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Masayo Komatsu, PhD
Assistant professor
Department of Social Medicine, Environmental Medicine and Population Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine
Suita, Osaka, Japan
Shu Umemori, MD
Assistant professor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Momoko Fujii, MD
Physiatrist
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Yoko Fujisaki, MD
Physiatrist
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Hiroki Wakabayashi, MD
Physiatrist
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Harukazu Tohyama, PhD
Professor
Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Masahiko Mukaino, PhD
Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
The ICF is a framework for describing and measuring functioning. The WHO promotes local and international efforts to develop educational systems and implement the ICF. However, owing to its complexity, its adoption in clinical settings is limited. Among several practical approaches, one feasible option is to use the ICF as a common reference framework by linking its categories to widely used clinical assessment instruments. In this study, we aimed to establish a link between ICF codes and relevant assessment tools widely used in Japanese clinical practice.
Design:
The artificial intelligence capabilities of ChatGPT-5 thinking were employed to generate a preliminary list of assessment tools relevant to each ICF code. This has facilitated a comprehensive listing of pertinent toolsets available in clinical settings. A group of experts reviewed and revised the list based on its availability in Japanese clinical practice. In addition, each evaluation item in the assessment tools was reviewed, and ICF codes were assigned such that each item corresponded to an ICF code. The consensus process consisted of linking by clinical experts familiar with the ICF and a subsequent review by a group of ICF researchers on the consistency of the linking.
Results:
The analysis involved a detailed comparison of the AI-generated list with expert opinions, resulting in a refined list of assessment tools linked and categorized according to ICF codes. Additionally, each evaluation item in the assessment tools was reviewed and linked to the corresponding ICF codes.
Conclusion:
A list of clinical assessment tools relevant to ICF codes was determined, laying the groundwork for their practical application in clinical settings as a reference system of functioning information. Further research is required to develop conversion tables for each assessment tool that allow the application of ICF codes in clinical settings and support applications using aggregated clinical data.
