The Consequences of Chronic Respiratory Disease for Employment and Employability

There are many confusing denitions in this eld. At the beginning of the 2000s, the International Classication of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was proposed and has gained increased use (ICF, 2001). The ICF classication focuses on the capabilities of the subjects. The areas of the ICF are body functions, activities and participation and environmental factors. In the eld of occupational medicine, the shift from using the term ‘work disability’ to ‘work ability’ is probably inuenced by the ICF concept. Nonetheless, beyond that, the ICF concept has not been applied extensively in the eld of respiratory diseases.