Integrating Planetary Health Into Interprofessional Education: A Scoping Review

Planetary health underscores the relationship between human well-being and the environment. It focuses on how climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss affect people’s health. Integrating this concept into interprofessional education (IPE) is vital for preparing health professionals to address these issues. This scoping review aimed to map the existing literature on IPE initiatives in planetary health, examine outcomes, and identify research gaps. It also aimed to inform educators, policymakers, and researchers about effective strategies and areas that require further investigation. Following established scoping review methodology, comprehensive searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases using specified search terms. Studies from 2019 to 2024 were included, reflecting recent developments in IPE on planetary health. Two reviewers independently performed screening and data extraction, with conflicts resolved through discussion. A total of 32 studies met the inclusion criteria, showcasing diverse educational approaches across medical education, public health, and nursing. The review identified varying levels of curriculum integration, impacts on knowledge and confidence, and challenges such as a lack of standardization, resource limitations, and barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration. Findings were categorized by discipline, methodology, country of origin, and educational focus, providing insights into the evolving landscape of health professional education in response to planetary health challenges. The synthesis demonstrates the importance of integrating planetary health into health professional curricula to effectively address global environmental changes. Key findings illustrate the diversity of educational approaches and underscore the need for standardized frameworks, effective resource allocation, and enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration to strengthen educational initiatives.