International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the foundational measurement of global health trends and statistics. It was founded by the Forty-Third World Health Assembly in May 1990 and implemented for use in 1994. The ICD supports ongoing research on mortality and morbidity rates, diseases, injuries, symptomatology, and other factors that influence human health. It assists the world in working together to compare and share health data with a common language for all to use and understand. Currently, 194 countries use the ICD system, with 43 translated languages; roughly 70% of the world’s health expenditures use the ICD coding system for reimbursement; and it is the source of more than 20,000 research articles. These research endeavors elaborate on diseases and their patterns, as well as ...