Report on the International ICF Consensus Conference on the ICF Core Sets for Hand Conditions

Objective. The aim of the conference was to derive the Brief and the Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for Hand Conditions from the subset of ICF categories selected on the basis of the preparatory phase research. Methods. Following a multistage decision process, the experts agreed on the ICF categories to be included in the ICF Core Sets for Hand Conditions. The development of the ICF Core Sets for Hand Conditions involved a formal decision-making and consensus process, integrating evidence gathered from preparatory studies including a qualitative study, a systematic literature review, an expert survey and an empirical multicentre study. Results. Twenty-three experts selected a total of 117 categories for the Comprehensive Core Set and 23 categories for the Brief Core Set. The largest number of categories was selected from the ICF component 'Activities and Participation'. Conclusion. The ICF Core Sets for Hand Conditions serve a clinical framework to comprehensively assess patients in acute care hospitals and early postacute rehabilitation facilities. The first versions of the ICF Core Sets will be further tested and validated through empirical studies.