The pathway to health in all policies through intersectoral collaboration on the health workforce: a scoping review

The health workforce (HWF) is a critical component of the health sector. Intersectoral/multisectoral collaboration and action is foundational to strengthening the HWF, enabling responsiveness to dynamic population health demands, and supporting broader goals around social and economic development—such development underpins the need for health in all policies (HiAP). To identify what can be learned from intersectoral/multisectoral activity for HWF strengthening to advance HiAP, we carried out a scoping review. Our review included both peer-reviewed and grey literature. Search terms encompassed terminology for the HWF, intersectoral/multisectoral activities, and governance or management. We carried out a framework analysis, extracting data around different aspects of HiAP implementation. With the aim of supporting action to advance HiAP, our analysis identified core recommendations for intersectoral/multisectoral collaboration for the HWF, organized as a “pathway to HiAP”. We identified 93 documents—67 (72%) were journal articles and 26 (28%) were grey literature. Documents reflected a wide range of country and regional settings. The majority (80, 86%) were published within the past 10 years, reflecting a growing trend in publications on the topic of intersectoral/multisectoral activity for the HWF. From our review and analysis, we identified five areas in the “pathway to HiAP”: ensure robust coordination and leadership; strengthen governance and policymaking and implementation capacities; develop intersectoral/multisectoral strategies; build intersectoral/multisectoral information systems; and identify transparent, resources financing and investment opportunities. Each has key practical and policy implications. Although we introduce a “pathway”, the relationship between the areas is not linear, rather, they both influence and are influenced by one another, reflecting their shared importance. Underscoring this “pathway” is the shared recognition of the importance of intersectoral/multisectoral activity, shared vision, and political will. Advancing health for all policies—generating evidence about best practice to identify and maximize co-benefits across sectors—is a next milestone.