The built environment and health: fostering interprofessional collaboration for better policy recommendations

This paper describes the initiation and proceedings of a national consultation organized to appraise issues in the local built environment affecting public health, using an interprofessional and intersectoral approach. The consultation was hosted as a part of the onsite session of an international fellowship program in interprofessional education and practice, organized by the Manipal FAIMER Institute for Leadership in Interprofessional Education, India. One hundred and eight delegates from across academic disciplines including the health professions, management, public health, architecture, and engineering, participated in this event. Plenary lectures and case studies highlighted the theoretical basics of built environment. Participants were also introduced to fundamental parameters for evaluating health-related aspects of the built environment. Delegates were then grouped into 18 teams and assigned to visit predetermined locations which they appraised and provided recommendations for. These were then thematically coded and synthesized for communication to relevant local municipal authorities. The consultation scope was limited by involving only academics in the appraisal process, and next steps include the engagement of local citizens and policy-makers to ensure the implementation of recommendations. This event illustrates how engaging interprofessional stakeholders can facilitate knowledge-driven development for promoting health equity, through action on the social determinants of health.