Producing a socially accountable medical school: AMEE Guide No. 109

Abstract

Health systems worldwide are confronted with challenges due to increased demand from their citizens, an aging population, a variety of health risks and limited resources. Key health stakeholders, including academic institutions and medical schools, are urged to develop a common vision for a more efficient and equitable health sector. It is in this environment that Boelen and Heck defined the concept of the "Social Accountability of Medical Schools" - a concept that encourages schools to produce not just highly competent professionals, but professionals who are equipped to respond to the changing challenges of healthcare through re-orientation of their education, research and service commitments, and be capable of demonstrating a positive effect upon the communities they serve. Social Accountability calls on the academic institution to demonstrate an impact on the communities served and thus make a contribution for a just and efficient health service, through mutually beneficial partnerships with other healthcare stakeholders. The purpose of this Guide is to explore the concept of Social Accountability, to explain it in more detail through examples and to identify ways to overcome obstacles to its development. Although in the Guide reference is frequently made to medical schools, the concept is equally applicable to all forms of education allied to healthcare.

The role of social accountable medical education in addressing health inequity in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…The Hauora Māori curriculum at UOC aligns with the Association for Medical Education Europe (AMEE) Social Accountability Guide to address a community's 'priority health needs', to produce health professionals who can deliver 'quality health care' and who can impact on health systems. (Boelen et al 2016(Boelen et al , p. 1078. The Hauora Māori curriculum contrasts with other documented models of social accountability that position the medical school as the initiator of community engagement, view the community as a physical location for student placements or view the community as a passive host of medical school teaching (Strasser et al 2015).…”

“…The strengths of this study include gaining multiple perspectives of stakeholders on the UOC Hauora Māori curriculum and its role in addressing Māori health inequities. Although this study explored many aspects of a social accountability framework, it did not examine the UOC engagement in service and research within Māori communities (Boelen et al 2016). Theoretical saturation was reached for each theme with a cohort of 72 participants.…”

“…It also states that 'social accountability is achieved through a structured and purposeful partnership in action between the educational institution and the wider health structures existing in the community, area or region it serves'. (Boelen et al 2016(Boelen et al , p. 1078.…”

Commitment towards a better future for medical education in Saudi Arabia: the efforts of the college of medicine at Qassim University to become socially accountable

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the social accountability of medical schools as 'the obligation to direct their education, research, and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and nation they have the mandate to serve' [1]. It is worth mentioning that the social accountability of medical schools depends on the ways medical schools make a social contract with society (the way in which a medical school contributes to the welfare of society) [2] by producing graduates who will fulfil the health needs of the communities they intend to serve [3,4].…”

Measuring Social Accountability of Medical Universities’ Education Function- Design, Development, and Validation of Instrument

“…To meet education, research, and service responsibilities to society, medical university needs to its measurement and assessment. [3] Are social accountability values including (equity, quality, relevance, cost effectiveness, community participation and professionalism and etc.) written in the mission of the University's Strategic Plan?…”