[Development and use of the ICF from the nursing point of view--a position statement of the German speaking working group "ICF and Nursing"].

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a comprehensive and internationally acknowledged framework for the description of human functional health, which covers all aspects of health and some health-related elements of well-being. The ICF is part of the classification family of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and can be used by different health care disciplines as well as for different purposes. In order to promote the discussion about ICF within the nursing profession, the German speaking working group "ICF and Nursing" developed a position statement that critically reflects both the potentials and the restrictions of the ICF for use in nursing care, particularly for diagnostical purposes.