Ethical conflict resolution in the domain of interprofessional education and collaborative practice: initial results of a scoping review

Despite the growing global emphasis on interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) in healthcare, ethical competence development remains underexplored. This article presents initial findings from an ongoing scoping review aimed at addressing two key questions: How does the existing literature describe the precursors of ethical conflict resolution in IPECP? What gaps in knowledge persist in this area? A search across eight electronic databases selected 27 eligible articles, which underwent thematic content analysis. The analysis identified eleven primary themes concerning the factors influencing interprofessional ethical conflict resolution and revealed a notable gap: insufficient strategies for integrating ethical competence and conflict resolution into the daily practices of healthcare professionals. While the literature stresses the importance of ethics education and training for students and professionals alike, there is a clear need for further exploration of effective frameworks tailored to IPECP contexts.