Use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to expand and standardize the assessment of quality-of-life following a stroke: proposal for the use of codes and qualifiers.

The proposal presented in this study allowed qualifying 43 ICF codes related to quality of life after a stroke in a simple, standardized manner, enabling the identification of different levels of impairment on each of the domains of the SS-QOL scale. This coding standardizes the evaluation, facilitates communication between healthcare providers, and systematizes the collection of data and information on health.Implications for rehabilitationProposal for qualifying concepts related to body functions, activity & participation, and environmental factors in a simple, standardized manner.The proposed mathematic calculation is simple and easy to understand, which minimizes the occurrence of errors.Possibility to identify different levels of impairment in each of the domains of the Stroke Specific Quality of Life scale, facilitating the establishment of individualized, longitudinal care.The ICF codes standardize the evaluation, facilitate communication between healthcare providers, and systematize the collection of data and information on health and functioning.