Two decades of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in health research: a bibliometric analysis

Introduction: We conducted a twenty-year bibliometric analysis of scientific literature, focusing on the trends of The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) use in health research.Methods: We retrieved 3'467 documents published between 2002 and 2022, sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection database. We used the Bibliometrix and VoSviewer tools for descriptive analyses and data visualization.Results: Our findings indicate a significant increase in ICF application since 2011, with an average annual growth rate of 13.19%. Prominent contributions were observed globally, with notable outputs from the U.S., Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Swiss Paraplegic Research, and McMaster University authored a quarter of the documents (24.6%). Collaboration networks of countries and institutions revealed robust partnerships, particularly between Germany and Switzerland. "Rehabilitation" was the most frequently occurring keyword, although a thematic shift towards epidemiology, aging, and health-related quality of life was observed post-2020. While rehabilitation remained the primary thematic focus, literature post-2020 highlighted epidemiology as a growing area of interest.Conclusions: A steady increase in ICF-based research mirrors the rising interest in a biopsychosocial and person-centered approach to healthcare. However, the literature is primarily produced by high-resource countries, with underrepresentation from low and middle-resource countries, suggesting an area of future research to address this discrepancy. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) serves as a universal framework for describing functioning and disability.The increasing application of the ICF in rehabilitation research underscores its value in developing comprehensive, person-centered care plans.By integrating the ICF, rehabilitation programs can better address the multifaceted needs of patients, facilitating improved outcomes in participation and quality of life.The observed thematic shift towards aging and health-related quality of life post-2020 indicates the growing relevance of the ICF in managing the complex health challenges of an aging population.The study also suggests that expanding the ICF implementation in low- and middle-income countries could bridge existing disparities in rehabilitation services, promoting global health equity.