ICHI
ICPM and ICHI of WHO
The need for an international classification of medical measures had been recognised as early as 1971. In 1978, WHO thus published its International Classification of Procedures in Medicine (ICPM). This was limited to surgical procedures. ICPM is part of the group of international health-related classifications. Because of the dynamics of medical-technical progress, the classification was costly to maintain and update; difficulties arose in international coordination. For that reason, work on the ICPM ceased in 1989. However, work on country-specific versions on a national level continued.
ICHI as the successor to the ICPM
In recent years, WHO has worked on a new classification of health interventions. The aim of this work is to create an internationally agreed classification that can be used for comparison and statistical exchange. For countries that do not yet have their own procedural classification, this new ICHI (International Classification of Health Interventions) is intended to be easily expandable. This new classification is also intended to cover traditional medicine and measures taken by public healthcare services.