ABSTRACT
Since its publication in 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) has become the most widely used conceptual model of disablement worldwide. The ICF comprises a conceptual model and a classification of all but one of the components of this model, personal factors. The model depicts the relationships between a health condition and its potential impact on body functions and structures, on activities, such as activities of daily living and on participation. The conceptual model of the ICF also shows contextual factors. Contextual factors in the ICF are said to represent the complete background of an individual's life and living. The ICF is somewhat different from earlier models particularly in the way in which personal factors are incorporated. Personal factors in the ICF are personal characteristics that are not included in the structure and functioning of the person's body, their activities, or participation.
