Developing Dysphagia-specific Item Bank Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

Dysphagia profoundly impacts individual biopsychosocial functioning. Standardized terminology will facilitate consistent and effective dysphagia care across clinical, research, and psychosocial domains. This systematic review operationalizes the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to establish consensus-driven core categories for comprehensive dysphagia management. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic review was conducted to elucidate the diverse experiences of individuals with dysphagia across the full range of their life spectrum. We interrogated six databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang) from inception to September 2023. Through dual-phase expert validation (literature synthesis and Delphi consensus), we linked dysphagia-specific constructs to ICF codes. Nine qualifying studies were analyzed, which consisted of 2 qualitative interviews, 4 systematic reviews, and 3 linkage methodology studies. A total of 114 ICF items measuring various aspects of functioning were collected. This ICF-based taxonomy provides a multidimensional framework for quantifying dysphagia impacts across overall functional domains and enabling cross-disciplinary outcome metric harmonization as well as informing patient-centered intervention targets.