ICF from an occupational therapy perspective in adult care: an integrative literature review

Since its launch there has been increasing interest in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) within occupational therapy (OT). The aim of this study was to perform an integrative literature review, in order to present an overview of knowledge, where the ICF constitutes a significant part in relation to OT. A systematic literature search, covering the period 2001-2008, was performed in the databases MEDLINE, AMED, and CINAHL. A total of 112 articles were included and the majority had exploratory and descriptive designs. The results showed that ICF was valuable for research, clinical practice, and education. ICF was used to link existing instruments and to construct new outcome measures. Occupational therapists have been members of expert groups involved in the development of Core Sets for certain health conditions. Several positive aspects were described, e.g. an effective medium for communication at different levels. Many limitations were mentioned, such as unclear concepts and lack of subjective experiences. Suggestions for improvements were described. The conclusion was that the ICF has been used for a broad spectrum of purposes. The results indicated that further research is needed concerning application of the ICF in clinical practice and education.