An overview and profile of the ICF's use in Brazil--a decade of history

In 2001 the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a classification system for understanding functioning and human disability: the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The ICF's acceptance and use has been facilitated by the development and global consensus process, with increasing evidence about its validity.

To investigate the overview of the use of the ICF in Brazil, since its conception in 2001 until the year 2011.

We conducted an integrative literature review by searching SciELO, Lilacs, PubMed and ISI databases. To be included in the review, the study must have been published as scientific article, editorial or technical note, and had to having the participation of Brazilian researchers or have been developed in Brazil.

One hundred and two publications were identified, but only 47 studies were included based in the inclusion criteria. Most of eligible studies were related to neurology (n=16) and orthopaedics (n=12) subdisciplines. The university that most appeared in the publications in national journals was The Universidade de São Paulo (11) and in the international journals was Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (4). In 2003 there was only one publication; in 2010 and 2011 were 10 and 8, respectively.

Although incipient, the use of ICF in the Brazilian scientific community is rising. There is a concentration of studies related to the locomotor system, as well as performed by universities in the southeast area of Brazil.