Mechanisms of Intersectoral Collaboration in the Health System: A Scoping Review

The implementation of health interventions requires the collaboration of various sectors outside health due to the multidimensional nature of healthcare. Building effective partnerships demands the use of intersectoral mechanisms that facilitate the leadership and implementation of these programs. In this review, the mechanisms of intersectoral collaboration (ISC) and their results were identified.

This scoping review was conducted in 2020. Using relevant keywords, all documents related to ISC in the health system were identified by searching four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science), Google, and Google scholar search engines. In the initial search, 2911 documents were extracted. Based on the selection criteria 52 documents were selected for content analysis.

Five areas of ISC were identified, including funding (collection, pooling, and distribution of funds), governance and leadership (political commitment, rules and regulations, control and evaluation, and stakeholder engagement), structural mechanisms (interorganizational, government-based, and program-based structures), process tools (information tools, support tools, and resource and service sharing), and models and frameworks (general, national, and program-specific models).

An intersectoral framework or model be developed that considers the financial, structural, and leadership aspects as well as the necessary process tools required for each program. Moreover, it should be considered communication and human resources empowerment in each intervention.