1247 Gaps in Sleep Education Across Health and Behavioral Health Professions Worldwide: A Missed Opportunity for Foundational Training

Abstract Introduction Sleep is increasingly recognized as a foundational pillar of health at individual, community, and societal levels. Despite this, sleep health education remains limited in most health and behavioral health training programs. Strengthening sleep education is essential, as health and behavioral health clinicians routinely encounter patients with inadequate sleep duration, quality, and/or sleep-related disorders and concerns. The interdisciplinary and international team of authors, comprising nursing, medicine, social work, and pharmacy, conducted a comprehensive scoping review of the peer-reviewed literature to assess accounts of sleep education for health and behavioral health care professionals. Methods The scoping review was registered with Open Science Framework. The authors systematically searched Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, ERIC, CINAHL, and IPA using targeted keywords and MeSH terms. Articles published from 2019 onward were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria included articles not published in English, French, or Portuguese, as well as those that did not assess the sleep education provided. Screening at both title/abstract and full-text stages was performed independently by two reviewers; disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. Studies were classified by health professional discipline. Results A total of 8,275 records were identified. After removing duplicates, 4,552 records remained and were screened. Of these, 4,367 were excluded. Full text was assessed for 175 articles, and 141 were excluded for the following reasons: no training or education component (77), non–health professional focus (8), ineligible study type (37), knowledge-only surveys (85), or other reasons (19). Ultimately, 34 studies were included in the scoping review. Sleep health education or training was most implemented within nursing (n=14) or medicine (n=9) professional programs. Conclusion Sleep plays a critical role in physical and mental health, yet formal sleep health education remains limited and uneven across health and behavioral health professions. Although extensive research demonstrates the prevalence and impact of sleep problems, existing training efforts are fragmented. The field now needs coordinated action to translate this evidence into consistent educational standards. We propose a focus on foundational sleep health education within health and behavioral health disciplines, as well as discipline-specific sleep health education tailored to the diverse needs of the patients served. Support (if any)