Basic Criteria, Models, and Indicators of Intersectoral Collaboration in Health Promotion: A Scoping Study

Abstract

Background: The healthcare sector has a small share in community health, and other sectors are actively involved in this domain. Therefore, only by a collective and collaborative action can health promotion interventions be properly implemented. In order to have intersectoral collaboration in the domain of healthcare, basic criteria are required as an operational guide for the successful implementation of such collaborations. A specific framework is also required so that the programs can be properly implemented accordingly. After the implementation, the success or failure of the collaborative action will be determined by assessing the effectiveness of the actions taken using an appropriate assessment system (e.g., indicators). In this study, the basic criteria, models, and indicators of intersectoral collaboration in health promotion were investigated to facilitate the implementation of collaboration. Methods: This scoping review was conducted using datasets of Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, and search engines of Google, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. Original articles, review articles, and reports were included in this study. In terms of subject, articles which referred to the basic criteria, models, or indicators of intersectoral collaboration in health promotion were included. Results: A total of 52 studies were included in the final analysis, and 32 codes in three categories (micro, meso, and macro) were obtained. Micro-level intersectoral collaboration criteria had the highest frequency. Among the models used in the reviewed studies, social network analysis (SNA), Diagnosis of Sustainable Collaboration (DISC), Bergen, and logic models had the highest frequency in health promotion. Among the indicators studied, the number of participants and the level of collaboration as well as its sustainability were the most frequent indicators. Conclusion: The findings identified the most important and widely used criteria, models, and indicators of intersectoral collaboration in health promotion which can be useful for decision-makers and planners in the domain of health promotion, in designing, implementing, and evaluating collaborative programs.