The Implementation of Social Accountability in Medical Schools in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Scoping Review

Overview

Journal J Taibah Univ Med Sci

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2022 Nov 18

PMID 36398013

Authors

Mohamed H Taha

Mohamed E Abdalla

Majed M Saleh Wadi

Husameldin E Khalafalla

Maryam Akbarilakeh

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Social Accountability is a relatively new approach in medical education, Information about its implementation is scarce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The objective of this scoping review was to investigate the patterns and trends in reporting the social accountability (SA) of medical schools in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR).

Methods: Using the Arksey and O'Malley approach, we conducted literature searches between 1995 and 2022 in the following databases: Scopus, Web of Sciences, CINAHL, PubMed, and Google Scholar using the search terms social accountability, medical school, faculty of medicine, Eastern Mediterranean Region, EMRO region. Using qualitative theme analysis, the extracted, coded, and analyzed data were reported.

Results: The screening of various databases revealed 164 articles, 26 articles were finally included in the review. The 26 included articles originated from only seven out of the 22 EMR countries: Iran, Sudan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco, and Pakistan. The articles included were categorized under six themes: defining the SA and compliance with SA values and concepts, accreditation, educational program, perceptions of faculty and students, admission of students, and measurement of social accountability.

Conclusions: The publications related to SA from the EM regions countries revealed similarities with other parts of the world in that the SA concept is not effectively translated into real day-to-day activities in medical schools. More work is needed from leaders in education and health systems to examine SA enablers and improve the uptake of the concept.

Citing Articles

Components of social accountability in medical education: a scoping review.

Saniee N, Motamed S, Barati M, Goodarzi F, Hassanzadeh G, Kohpayehzadeh J BMC Med Educ. 2025; 25(1):349.

PMID: 40050893 PMC: 11887325. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-025-06873-w.

Student perspectives of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the curriculum of a UK medical school-A mixed-methods study.

Heidari A, Joshi S, Ahmed M, Mahmoud I, ODowd J, Selway J J Educ Health Promot. 2025; 13():484.

PMID: 39850280 PMC: 11756678. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_297_24.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the students' conceptions of assessment: SCoA inventory in medical university in Iran.

Akbarilakeh M, Kazemy S, Ahmady S, Arbabisarjou A J Educ Health Promot. 2024; 13:319.

PMID: 39429821 PMC: 11488769. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_980_22.

Exploring strategies, programs, and influencing factors for integrating social accountability into undergraduate medical education: a scoping review.

Abdalla M, Taha M, Onchonga D, Nour N, Kelly D, Harney S BMC Med Educ. 2024; 24(1):1107.

PMID: 39375698 PMC: 11460141. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-06072-z.

Reflection on Five Months Rural District Hospital Posting of Final Year MBBS Students.

Basnet P, Karki R, Acharya R, Lohani P, Malla U JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2024; 62(271):223-225.

PMID: 39356779 PMC: 10924472. DOI: 10.31729/jnma.8519.

References

Hosny S, Ghaly M, Boelen C . Is our medical school socially accountable? The case of Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University. Med Teach. 2015; 37 Suppl 1:S47-55. DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2015.1006600. View

Hamad B . Problem-based education in Gezira, Sudan. Med Educ. 1985; 19(5):357-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1985.tb01337.x. View

Preston R, Larkins S, Taylor J, Judd J . Building blocks for social accountability: a conceptual framework to guide medical schools. BMC Med Educ. 2016; 16(1):227. PMC: 5002162. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-016-0741-y. View

Alrebish S, Taha M, Ahmed M, Abdalla M . 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. Med Educ Online. 2020; 25(1):1710328. PMC: 7655075. DOI: 10.1080/10872981.2019.1710328. View

Walling E, Lachance E, Yeo L, Koepke K, Wasik A, Woollard R . Key drivers of social accountability in nine Canadian medical schools. Med Teach. 2020; 43(2):182-188. DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2020.1832205. View

Tricco A, Lillie E, Zarin W, OBrien K, Colquhoun H, Levac D . PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018; 169(7):467-473. DOI: 10.7326/M18-0850. View

Abdalla M, Taha M, Wadi M, Khalafalla H . What makes a medical school socially accountable? A qualitative thematic review of the evaluation of social accountability of medical schools in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. East Mediterr Health J. 2022; 28(5):381-389. DOI: 10.26719/emhj.22.016. View

Nashat N, Hadjij R, Al Dabbagh A, Rasoul Tarawneh M, Alduwaisan H, Zohra F . Primary care healthcare policy implementation in the Eastern Mediterranean region; experiences of six countries: Part II. Eur J Gen Pract. 2019; 26(1):1-6. PMC: 7006796. DOI: 10.1080/13814788.2019.1640210. View

Cristobal F, Worley P . Can medical education in poor rural areas be cost-effective and sustainable: the case of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University School of Medicine. Rural Remote Health. 2012; 12:1835. View

10.

Sebbani M, Adarmouch L, Mansouri A, Amine M . Social accountability: Attitudes and awareness among undergraduate medical students in Morocco. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2021; 9(1):1-7. PMC: 7846711. DOI: 10.30476/jamp.2020.87197.1298. View

11.

Abdalla M, Dash N, Shorbagi S, Taha M . Development and validation of inventory tool to evaluate social accountability principles in case scenarios used in problem-based curriculum (Social accountability inventory for PBL). Med Educ Online. 2020; 26(1):1847243. PMC: 7737675. DOI: 10.1080/10872981.2020.1847243. View

12.

Goldman J, Reeves S, Lauscher H, Jarvis-Selinger S, Silver I . Integrating social accountability into continuing education and professional development at medical schools: the case of an institutional collaborative project in Canada. J Interprof Care. 2008; 22 Suppl 1:40-50. DOI: 10.1080/13561820802012976. View

13.

Galukande M, Nakasujja N, Sewankambo N . Social accountability: a survey of perceptions and evidence of its expression at a Sub Saharan African university. BMC Med Educ. 2012; 12:96. PMC: 3507790. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6920-12-96. View

14.

Ellaway R, Malhi R, Bajaj S, Walker I, Myhre D . A critical scoping review of the connections between social mission and medical school admissions: BEME Guide No. 47. Med Teach. 2017; 40(3):219-226. DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2017.1406662. View

15.

Abdolmaleki M, Yazdani S, Momeni S, Momtazmanesh N . Social Accountable Medical Education: A concept analysis. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2017; 5(3):108-115. PMC: 5522902. View

16.

Ahmed M, Abdalla M, Taha M . Why social accountability of medical schools in Sudan can lead to better primary healthcare and excellence in medical education?. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020; 9(8):3820-3825. PMC: 7586598. DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_498_20. View

17.

Emadzadeh A, Karimi Moonaghi H, Bazzaz M, Karimi S . An investigation on social accountability of general medicine curriculum. Electron Physician. 2016; 8(7):2663-9. PMC: 5014507. DOI: 10.19082/2663. View

18.

Ahmady S, Akbari Lakeh M . Exploring the practical themes for medical education social accountability in Iran. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2015; 8(1):28-32. PMC: 4285929. View

19.

Methley A, Campbell S, Chew-Graham C, McNally R, Cheraghi-Sohi S . PICO, PICOS and SPIDER: a comparison study of specificity and sensitivity in three search tools for qualitative systematic reviews. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014; 14:579. PMC: 4310146. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-014-0579-0. View

20.

Strasser R, Hogenbirk J, Minore B, Marsh D, Berry S, McCready W . Transforming health professional education through social accountability: Canada's Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Med Teach. 2013; 35(6):490-6. DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2013.774334. View