ICD

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the globally authoritative medical classification and terminology used in epidemiology, health management, clinical diagnosis, and health information management, resource allocation, clinican recording, decision support and health financing. It exists currently in its eleventh revision ICD-11 and it is notably different in detail and technology from all previous revisions of ICD. The ICD is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations System. The ICD provides a standardized framework for recording causes of illness and death, interoperability, comparing health data across countries and time periods, supporting reimbursement and resource allocation, and feeding automated decision support in clinical and public health settings. It maps health conditions to corresponding generic categories together with specific variations, each assigned a designated code. Its consistent application underpins international comparability in the collection, processing, and analysis of health statistics — a foundation for evidence-based health policy at both national and global levels.