The Right ICD Code, Right Now: A Call to Action for Pragmatic Language Disorders After Right Hemisphere Stroke

Abstract

Purpose: Diagnosis of language impairments after stroke is important to optimizing stroke outcomes. After right hemisphere brain damage (RHD), apragmatism can impact the comprehension and production of pragmatic language. However, despite decades of empirical evidence, there is no International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code for RHD pragmatic language impairments. The absence of an ICD code has far reaching ramifications that impact patient outcomes, including reduced clinical and public awareness, limited curricular content, and underdiagnosis. This viewpoint justifies the need to appropriately classify the pragmatic language symptomology after RHD with an ICD code. Conclusion: An ICD code can positively influence health care practitioner knowledge, education, and practice while informing public health considerations vital to epidemiological analyses.