Using the ICF in transition research and practice? Lessons from a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Public Health
• Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

• The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and its child/youth version (ICF-CY) highlight personal and environmental factors crucial for transition planning.
• These frameworks are vital for holistic service delivery for youth with chronic health conditions (YCHC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review assessing the utilization of the ICF and ICF-CY in transition research and practice.
• To understand how these classifications have been applied since their publication.

Main Methods:

• A five-stage scoping review methodology by Arksey and O'Malley was employed.
• Searches were conducted across AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, HealthSTAR, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases.
• Keywords included 'ICF', 'ICF-CY', and 'transition', adapted for each database.

Main Results:

• Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria.
• The ICF enhances transdisciplinary approaches for transition planning and interventions.
• The ICF supports comprehensive, developmentally appropriate transition services across a youth's lifespan.
• Identified limitations include the ICF's extensive item list and ambiguity between activity and participation components.

Conclusions:

• Further development of ICF items is recommended for quality of life, well-being, personal factors, and psychological issues.
• Additional research is needed to build empirical evidence for applying the ICF in clinical transition practice.