Magdalena Fresk

• PhD student at Karolinska Institutet
• Licensed physician and specialist in family medicine since 2011
• Worked at Kista Vårdcentral (Primary Health Care Center) from 2004 to 2017
• Involved in clinical method development within the 4D Diabetes project (2013–2017)
• Medical officer and head of unit at the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) 2017-

My thesis explores how the WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can improve sickness certification in health care, especially in cases of depression and chronic pain.

• The research shows that while the quality of certificates has improved, there are still gender differences and important gaps in how disability is described.
• ICF and its Core Sets offer a useful structure, but need adaptation to fully support clinical use.
• The clinical tool TIPPA is also evaluated—helpful for assessing physical function in chronic pain, but lacking psychological aspects important for work ability.

The findings highlight the need for more flexible, person-centered documentation strategies and suggest that ICF-based approaches could support international harmonization and better health policy planning.