Health professionals’ knowledge and understanding of inclusion health: a systematic literature review

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dc.contributor.authorFlynn, Angela V
dc.contributor.authorBermingham, Margaret
dc.contributor.authorCaples, Maria
dc.contributor.authorCurtin, Margaret
dc.contributor.authorDalton, Caroline
dc.contributor.authorMcLoughlin, Geraldine
dc.contributor.authorO’Mahony, James
dc.contributor.authorVucen, Sonja
dc.contributor.authorSaab, Mohamad M
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-28T10:50:02Z
dc.date.available2026-04-28T10:50:02Z
dc.date.issued2026-02-01
dc.description.abstractThere is a growing need for healthcare professionals to ensure that their practices are inclusive and that they are considerate of the needs of marginalized communities. Inclusion health (IH) seeks to correct the imbalances that result in health inequities and requires health practitioners to have an adequate understanding and knowledge of the needs of marginalized and vulnerable population groups. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize and critically appraise evidence from studies that explored healthcare professionals’ knowledge and/or awareness of IH. Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, and SocINDEX were systematically searched without any year or language limits. The last search was conducted on 16 December 2024. A total of 4870 studies were identified, of which 37 were included (21 qualitative studies, 7 quantitative studies, 6 mixed-methods studies, 2 cross-sectional studies, and 1 quasi-experimental study). The methodological quality of the studies was appraised. Most studies were from the USA and Australia and focused on IH knowledge regarding members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer community, people with disabilities, and culturally diverse populations. Studies examining healthcare professionals’ knowledge and awareness were not homogenous in nature resulting in a wide variety of studies and types of data. Different minority groups require varied levels of insight and understanding from their healthcare professionals. There is therefore no one-size-fits-all solution. We recommend targeted interventions throughout the training and education of healthcare professionals, informed and designed by the participation of members of those marginalized communities.en
dc.format.extent22
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.authororcidFlynn, Angela V§0000-0003-0192-3141
dc.identifier.authororcidBermingham, Margaret§0000-0002-8692-1569
dc.identifier.authororcidCaples, Maria§0000-0003-0734-7907
dc.identifier.authororcidCurtin, Margaret§0000-0002-1996-0656
dc.identifier.authororcidDalton, Caroline§0000-0003-4396-2800
dc.identifier.authororcidMcLoughlin, Geraldine§0009-0000-7730-5695
dc.identifier.authororcidO’Mahony, James§0000-0002-7101-7016
dc.identifier.authororcidVucen, Sonja§0000-0003-0140-0121
dc.identifier.authororcidSaab, Mohamad M§0000-0002-7277-6268
dc.identifier.citationFlynn, A V, Bermingham, M, Caples, M, Curtin, M, Dalton, C, McLoughlin, G, O’Mahony, J, Vucen, S & Saab, M M 2026, 'Health professionals’ knowledge and understanding of inclusion health: a systematic literature review', Health Policy and Planning, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 314–335. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf024
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/heapol/czaf024
dc.identifier.issn0268-1080
dc.identifier.issued2
dc.identifier.journaltitleHealth Policy and Planning
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-0192-3141/work/184042829
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-0192-3141/work/206751745
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-7277-6268/work/213163992
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-4396-2800/work/213164299
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0009-0000-7730-5695/work/213164300
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-1996-0656/work/213164349
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-0734-7907/work/213164651
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-8692-1569/work/213164729
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-0140-0121/work/215853282
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-7101-7016/work/217784661
dc.identifier.startpage314–335
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18698
dc.identifier.volume41
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherOxford University Press
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105030244008
dc.rights© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site–for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectHealth equity
dc.subjectHealth professionals
dc.subjectInclusion health
dc.subjectKnowledge
dc.subjectSystematic review
dc.subjectUnderstanding
dc.subject[NursingMidwifery]
dc.subject[Pharmacy]
dc.subjecthealth professionals
dc.subjecthealth equity
dc.subjectsystematic review
dc.subjectunderstanding
dc.subjectinclusion health
dc.subjectknowledge
dc.titleHealth professionals’ knowledge and understanding of inclusion health: a systematic literature reviewen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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