WHO Collaborating Centre for the Family of International Classifications

There is a close cooperation between DIMDI and the World Health Organization concerning the maintenance of the ICD-10, the ICD-O-3 and the ICF. Since 1997 DIMDI participates regularly in the annual meetings of the WHO Collaborating Centres.

To institutionalize this collaboration DIMDI was designated WHO Collaborating Centre for the Family of International Classifications by the World Health Organization on June 23, 2003.

Since a few years DIMDI is actively represented in several working groups of the WHO Collaborating Centres:

• Council

  The Council consists of several Centre Heads and Committee Chairs and is responsible for planning of the annual meetings of the Collaborating Centres and for continuing with the actual work between the annual meetings. The Council endorses all major decisions concerning the classifications. DIMDI holds one of the two chair-positions of the Council.

• Update and Revision Committee

  The URC discusses the suggestions for the maintenance of the ICD-10 and for ICF and prepares recommendations for changes. During the annual meetings of the heads of Centres these changes are finalised and approved for incorporation into the ICD-10 or the ICF. The changes will then be ratified by the Council and recommended to WHO for publication as official update. The URC has its own web pages: Update and Revision Committee.

• Mortality Reference Group

  The MRG deals with all questions concerning mortality coding and clarifies problems related to the application of the coding guidelines. 

• Informatics and Terminology Committee

  The ITC supports the WHO and the WHO Classification Centres in the development of electronic tools and standards for classifications and their dissemination. The combined use of Terminologies and Classifications is discussed in this Committee and ways are evaluated on how to link these different systems reliable and stable over time.

• Family Development Committee

  The FDC promotes the integration of the WHO classifications into a suite or family of classifications. Currently it deals with health interventions, external causes of injuries and primary care. Furthermore, it analyses the need for further classifications and sets up quality criteria for their admission into the family.

• Education and Implementation Committee

  The EIC developes curricula for the training and further education of the classification users and certification requirements for trained users. The EIC works on improving the implementation of the classifications in the member states and proposes solutions and remedies.

• Morbidity Reference Group

  The MbRG deals with all questions concerning morbidity coding. For the time being the MbRG is put on hold until the ICD-11 is released.

• Functioning and Disability Reference Group

  The FDRG covers questions and problems concerning the ICF, the updates to ICF and prepares additional information for the use of ICF.

On the web-pages of WHO you will find further information on these working groups and an overview of the designated Collaborating Centres for the Family of international health classifications:

Collaborating Centres for the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC)