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Forum on International Collaborative Research in Rehabilitation
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(METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS: THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF FUNCTIONING, DISABILITY, AND HEALTH (ICF))
Cassia Maria Buchalla, M.D., Ph.D.,
Assessor
World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center
for the Family of
International Classifications in Portuguese, School of Public Health,
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Maurice McInerney, Ph.D., Managing
Director
American Institutes for Research, Washington, D.C.,
U.S.A.
Abstract
The Academia Brasileira de Ciências is currently collaborating with the American Institutes for Research, Melwood Training Center, and the WHO Collaborating Center for the Family of International Classifications (ICF) on a collaborative research project in Brazil and the United States. The project's purpose is to develop and test a model program for group homes. The ICF is a key dependent measure. The presentation will report on the ICF's current status in Brazil as well as the project's implications for international collaboration. The WHO Center is completing the Portuguese version of the ICF. The project is helping to support strategies for its effective implementation in Brazil, including collaboratively developing training materials, testing the Portuguese version, and deriving ICF check lists and qualifiers. The presentation will conclude by discussing how lessons learned from this international collaboration are providing opportunities to compare ICF use in both countries.