Factors Influencing professional identity formation in public health professionals – a qualitative meta-analysis

Background: There is a lack of synthesis in the existing literature concerning Professional Identity Formation (PIF) in public health professionals. The community of practitioners in public health may lack an understanding of opportunities for supporting PIF in public health education and practice. Hence, the purpose of the present Qualitative Meta-Analysis (QMA) was to gain insight into situations and factors that facilitate and challenge PIF among public health professionals. Material and Methods: A QMA was conducted to address the study objectives. We retrieved articles on PIF using a systematic search strategy across Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria included original qualitative and mixed methods research on PIF among public health students or professionals from various backgrounds, grey literature such as thesis, and studies in English, or with English translations, published in peerreviewed journals. Narratives, participant quotes, categories, and themes from the results and discussion sections were used for thematic and content analysis. Reporting followed the PRISMAScR checklist. Results and Conclusion: We derived five main meta-categories: 1) nature of public health practice and professional identity; 2) professional identity formation in the context of public health, which had three meta-categories on the role of the university in PIF, requirement of reconciliation with various other identities, and influence of job profile on professional identity; 3) facilitators of PIF included meta-categories of facilitators related to curricular aspects and while at work; 4) barriers related to PIF included metacategory related to curricular aspects and while at work; and finally, 5) perspectives of self and stakeholders included factors related to self, employers, and society. The results will provide a framework for future research and curriculum development in public health courses aimed at supporting PIF among students.