Preparing tomorrow's health entrepreneurs: a collaborative multi-stakeholder approach to identifying core competencies and training needs of future professionals.

BACKGROUND: Health systems face complex and multifaceted challenges that require health professionals (including clinicians, nurses and other health workers) to be equipped with entrepreneurship and innovation (E&I) competencies. However, the integration of E&I training within health university curricula remains largely underexplored across different countries and educational contexts. This study aimed to identify core E&I competencies and aligned training needs for future health professionals through a structured, multi-stakeholder approach. METHODS: Shaped within a value-focused thinking framework (systematically linking competencies as end goals with educational topics as means to achieve competencies), the study comprised three stages: (1) a scoping review (ScR) combined with qualitative content analysis (QCA) to identify and categorise E&I competencies and course topics documented in literature, alongside a value-driven competencies-topics relevance matrix; (2) a 3-round web-Delphi process involving a diverse panel of health stakeholders who validated and refined competencies and course topics lists (presented as pre-built thematic maps within the web-Delphi platform), and assessed course topics' relevance for developing specific E&I competencies; (3) a facilitated virtual workshop to discuss Delphi results and implications for higher education. RESULTS: The ScR included twenty-nine studies. QCA of these studies produced initial lists of 28 competencies (grouped into five E&I domains of competency) and 34 course topics, organized into thematic maps. Through the responses of 29 Delphi participants, these lists were expanded to a final set of 51 competencies and 55 competency-aligned course topics. Participants rated 91% of topics as at least strongly relevant for developing the respective E&I domain of competency. The workshop provided insights on implementing formal E&I training within health education curricula, with specific reference to the Portuguese context. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide educational institutions with a practical starting point for reflecting on and designing profession-specific E&I courses and enhancing existing graduate programs through targeted E&I competency integration. Findings have significant implications for health workforce education and planning, particularly in promoting competency-driven E&I curricula to enhance professionals' readiness for current and future healthcare system challenges. This study presents an innovative multi-stakeholder collaborative approach for mapping E&I competencies and aligned topics for training health professionals.