Conformities and gaps of clinical audiological data with the international classification of functioning disability and health core sets for hearing loss

Figures & data

Figure 1. The relationship between ICF components representing bio-psycho-social model of Functioning, Disability, and Health (WHO 2001).

Figure 2. The hierarchical scheme of the ICF classification (WHO 2001).

Table 1. ICF linking results for the brief and comprehensive Core Set for Hearing Loss (Danermark et al. 2013; Granberg 2015). The covered (marked as ✔) and non-covered (marked as ✗) categories are provided. GOESA: Goettingen Sentence Test (Kollmeier and Wesselkamp 1997), ACALOS: Adaptive Categorical Loudness Scaling (Brand and Hohmann 2002; Oetting, Brand, and Ewert 2014).

CODE	ICF category of the brief Core Set for Hearing Loss	CODE	ICF category of the comprehensive Core Set for Hearing Loss		Demographic data	Health status	Hearing complaints	GOESA	Pure-tone Audiometry	ACALOS	Ear examination
Body Functions
–	–	b1560	Auditory perception		✗	✗	✔	✔	✔	✔	✗
b230	Hearing Functions	b2300	Sound detection		✗	✗	✔	✔	✔	✔	✗
		b2301	Sound discrimination		✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
		b2302	Localisation of sound source		✗	✗	✔	✔	✗	✗	✗
		b2303*	Lateralisation of sound source		✗	✗	✔	✔	✗	✗	✗
		b2304	Speech discrimination		✗	✗	✔	✔	✗	✗	✗
b240	Sensations associated with hearing and vestibular functions	b240	b2400	Tinnitus	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
			b2401	Dizziness	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Body structures
s240	Structure of external ear	s240	Structure of external ear		✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✔
s250	Structure of middle ear	s250	Structure of middle ear		✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✔
Activities and participation
–	–	d110	Watching		✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
d115	Listening	d115	Listening		✗	✗	✔	✔	✔	✔	✗
d310	Communicating with receiving spoken messages	d310	Communicating with receiving spoken messages		✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
d350	Conversation	d3503	Conversing with one person		✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
		d3504	Conversing with many people		✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
d360	Using communication devices and techniques	d360	Using communication devices and techniques		✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
–	–	d920	Recreation and leisure (d9202: Arts and culture)		✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
Environmental factors
e125	Products and technology for communication	e125	e1250	General products and technology for communication	✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
			e1251	Assistive products and technology for communication	✗	✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗
–	–	e150	Design construction and building products and technology of buildings for public use		✔	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
e250	Sound	e2500	Sound intensity		✔	✗	✔	✔	✔	✔	✗
		e2501	Sound quality		✔	✗	✔	✔	✗	✗	✗
e355	Health professionals	e355	Health professionals		✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
e580	Health services, systems and policies	e580	Health services, systems and policies		✗	✔	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

Table 2. The covered (marked as ✔) and non-covered (marked as ✗) ICF categories of the brief Core Set for Hearing Loss (Danermark et al. 2013; Granberg 2015) in the applied database.

Body Functions			Body Structures			Activities and Participation			Environmental Factors
b126	Temperament and personality functions	✗	s110	Structure of brain	✗	d115	Listening	✔	e125	Products and technology for communication	✔
b140	Attention functions	✗	s240	Structure of external ear	✔	d240	Handling stress and other psychological demands	✗	e250	Sound	✔
b144	Memory functions	✗	s250	Structure of middle ear	✔	d310	Communicating with-receiving-spoken messages	✔	e310	Immediate family	✗
b152	Emotional functions	✗	s260	Structure of inner ear	✗	d350	Conversation	✔	e355	Health professionals	✔
b210	Seeing functions	✗				d360	Using communication devices and techniques	✔	e410	Individual attitudes of immediate family members	✗
b230	Hearing functions	✔				d760	Family relationships	✗	e460	Societal attitudes	✗
b240	Sensations associated with hearing and vestibular functions	✔				d820 d850 d910	School education Remunerative employment Community life	✗ ✗ ✗	e580	Health services systems and policies	✔

Table 3. The absolute number and the respective percentages of the covered categories of the ICF brief or comprehensive Core Set for Hearing Loss (Danermark et al. 2013; Granberg 2015).

	Brief Core Set for Hearing Loss			Comprehensive Core Set for Hearing Loss
Domain	Covered	Total	Covered (%)	Covered	Total	Covered (%)
Body Function	2	7	29	6	22	27
Body Structures	2	4	50	2	5	40
Activities and Participation	4	9	44	7	42	17
Environmental Factors	4	7	57	6	48	12
Overall	12	27	44	21	117	18

Figure 3. Patients’ hearing impairment grade; left: According to the Global Burden of Disease Expert Group on Hearing Loss classification (Stevens et al. 2013; WHO 2021), right: According to the earlier hearing impairment grading (WHO 2008).

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