Unlike the approach used in developing the other ICF Core Sets, the ICF Generic Set (sometimes called Minimal Generic Set) was developed from a psychometrics study. The ICF Generic Set is composed of seven 2nd level categories (click here) from the ICF components Body Functions and Activities and Participation which have been statistically determined to be the generally applicable across health conditions and contexts. As such, the ICF Generic Set can be used for a very brief description of functioning. Because of its general applicability, it is strongly recommended that the ICF categories from the ICF Generic Set should be included every time an ICF Core Set, Brief or Comprehensive is used. This will ensure the data collected in a clinical setting for assessment purposes has the widest applicability for other purposes, including health statistics, health services planning and research. To see the publication on the development of the ICF Generic Set click here.

The ICF Generic Set is of importance for health statistics and public health. It can be used to compare health across health conditions, settings, contexts, countries and population groups using only a small number of ICF categories that are key indicators of health and functioning. The ICF Generic Set is also valuable for clinical use as it depicts the very core of functioning, and provides at a glance, initial insight into a patient's level of functioning that is clear and understandable to any health or health-related professional involved. Most importantly, the ICF Generic Set ensures comparability across health conditions.

The ICF Generic Set is included in a larger set called ICF Rehabilitation Set. The ICF Rehabilitation Set contains 30 categories i.e. the 7 categories of the Generic Set and 23 categories that were found to be relevant solely in the clinical population. Click here to access the ICF Rehabilitation Set. The categories of the ICF Rehabilitation Set should be routinely applied for ICF-based reporting in clinical settings.