Supporting Children’s Health and Well‐Being Through Interprofessional Collaboration

A Scoping Review of Educational Collaboration Between Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Teacher Training

Bibliographic Data

ID12287395
AuthorsJaanet Salminen (0000-0002-2607-2948), Hanna Kallio (0000-0002-3817-9646), Miia Laasanen (0000-0002-0181-1732)
EditorsQing-Wei Chen
Year2025
Volume2025
Issue1
Publication date2025-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth & Social Care in the Community (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-0410 • E-ISSN: 1365-2524
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1155/hsc/5387000
OpenAlexW4415099346
LanguageEN
References cited57

Addressing children’s complex health and well‐being issues requires the collaborative efforts of health and social care professionals and teachers to develop effective care solutions and prevent the escalation of problems. Consequently, there is a recognized need to prepare professionals in children’s services for interprofessional collaboration already during undergraduate studies. However, knowledge on interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at promoting related competencies is fragmented. A scoping review was conducted to map the scientific literature on educational collaboration among health sciences, social sciences and teacher training, including collaboration with working life and the studies common for the students of these fields. Scientific publication in English in 2000–2023 was searched. A total of 1197 papers were initially identified. Following the selection process, 25 articles were included in the thematic analysis. Of the 25 articles analysed, 60% were empirical and 40% were theoretical. Perspectives included education ( n = 10), healthcare ( n = 5), social work ( n = 2) and general interprofessional work ( n = 8). The main contexts were children with special needs ( n = 11) and child and family well‐being ( n = 5). The reporting was guided by the PRISMA‐ScR checklist. The literature described the requirements for collaboration between faculties in universities for interdisciplinary education and the challenges experienced. In higher education, programmes in health sciences, social sciences and teacher training collaborated to enhance students’ interprofessional competencies through two main strategies: interfaculty collaboration in designing and delivering joint studies and collaboration with working life to provide authentic, practice‐based learning. These shared studies emphasised skills such as collaborative attitudes, role understanding and knowledge exchange—competencies that are essential for professionals working with clients of all ages. This review contributes to the knowledge base on interprofessional education and highlights the importance of both academic and practice‐based collaboration. It also identifies key challenges, including structural barriers within universities—such as rigid curricula and disciplinary silos—and limited resources for engaging in professional practices

Child and Adolescent Health · Family and Disability Support Research · Interprofessional Education and Collaboration

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