A learner-led conference to enhance interdisciplinary social accountability education in healthcare: participant perspectives on engagement and educational experience

The social and health care educator's role in educating future professionals need to be stronger emphasised and deserves international recognition. The purpose of this study was to develop and test an empirical model of social and health care educators' competence in higher and professional education. The presented research employed a cross-sectional study design. Data were collected using HeSoEduCo-instrument from 28 educational institutions in Finland. The model was empirically tested with confirmatory factor analysis through Structural Equation Modelling that applied the Full Imputation Maximum Likelihood estimator. A total of 422 social and health care educators participated in the study. The empirical model of social and health care educators including eight competence areas: leadership and management, collaboration and societal, evidence-based practice, subject and curriculum, mentoring students in professional competence development, student-centred pedagogy, digital collaborative learning, and cultural and linguistic diversity. All of the connections between concepts of the empirical model were found to be statistically significant. There were strong connections between most of the identified competence concepts; however, two weak connections were found, namely, the link between competence in evidence-based practice and competence in subject and curriculum, along with the link between competence in digital collaborative learning and competence in student-centred pedagogy. The presented empirical model can help stakeholders identify which areas of social and health care educators' curricula should be further developed. The model is also relevant for improving continuous education, allowing educators to assess their competence levels and evaluating educators' performance at the organisational level.

Health Professionals Education symposium, organized by the Koç Academy of Medical Education Research (KAMER), convened in October 2024 to discuss the evolving role of technology and social accountability in health professions education. The symposium adopted the concept of "healthcare professionals' education" as a unifying framework for synchronizing the training of medical and nursing students within a continuum of holistic healthcare education in low-and-middle income countries. The rationale for the symposium was to call on the dire need to improve healthcare professionals' education to reduce the increasing gap between the global north and global south. The discussion topics involved critical and current issues such as social accountability, health advocacy, and professionalism. Study groups explored aligning education with societal needs, addressing healthcare disparities, and integrating professional values into medical and nursing curricula. Presentations also focused on the integration of technology into healthcare education. Participants examined big data, artificial intelligence, simulation technologies, and digital learning platforms, identifying challenges and opportunities for their implementation. The symposium highlighted the transformative impact of interprofessional education, health advocacy, and technology in shaping socially accountable, patient-centered healthcare systems. Key recommendations included integrating community-oriented curricula, leveraging data-driven strategies for program enhancement, and expanding access to advanced educational technologies. This manuscript summarizes the symposium's conclusions and emphasizes the need to transform healthcare professionals' education in low-and-middle income countries to align with contemporary societal demands and to reduce the disparity gap.

Academic health centers (AHCs) in the United States have had a leading role in educating the medical workforce, generating new biomedical knowledge, and providing tertiary and quaternary clinical care. Yet the health status of the U.S. population lags behind almost every other developed world economy. One reason is that the health care system is not organized optimally to address the major driver of health status, the social determinants of health (SDOH). The United States' overall poor health status is a reflection of dramatic disparities in health that exist between communities and population groups, and these are associated with variations in the underlying SDOH. Improving health status in the United States thus requires a fundamental reengineering of the health delivery system to address SDOH more explicitly and systematically. AHCs' tripartite mission, which has served so well in the past, is no longer sufficient to position AHCs to lead and resolve the intractable drivers of poor health status, such as unfair and unjust health disparities, health inequities, or differences in a population's SDOH.AHCs enjoy broad public support and have an opportunity-and an obligation-to lead in improving the nation's health. This Perspective proposes a new framework for AHCs to expand on their traditional tripartite mission of education, research, and clinical care to include explicitly a fourth mission of social accountability. Through this fourth mission, comprehensive community engagement can be undertaken, addressing SDOH and measuring the health impact of interventions by using a deliberate structure and process, yielding defined outcomes.

Background and PurposeClinical education serves as a vital bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application, preparing healthcare professionals to meet societal health needs. Social accountability, as defined by the World Health Organization, obliges educational institutions to align education, research, and service activities with community health priorities. Although widely recognized, the integration of social accountability into clinical education remains underexplored, with notable gaps in evaluation, curriculum alignment, and implementation strategies. This scoping review’s purpose is to bridge the existing knowledge gap by synthesizing current evidence, analysing various implementation methods, identifying barriers and evaluation frameworks, and outlining opportunities for advancing socially accountable clinical training.MethodsThis scoping review synthesizes current evidence on embedding social accountability within clinical education. Guided by the Population–Concept–Context (PCC) framework, the review asked: How is social accountability integrated into clinical education for healthcare professionals, students, and educators across clinical training settings? Studies involving healthcare students, professionals, and educators in hospitals, community clinics, and rural placements were included. A comprehensive search of six databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC) was conducted from inception up to February 28, 2025. Only English-language publications were included. Data extraction followed Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, with thematic analysis conducted using Braun and Clarke’s approach.ResultsFrom 893 identified records, 58 studies met the inclusion criteria. Key themes emerged, including curricular integration, faculty engagement, barriers to implementation, community engagement, practical applications, Educational Outcomes and evaluation strategies.ConclusionIntegrating social accountability into clinical education promotes equity in healthcare and prepares graduates to address systemic health challenges. However, persistent obstacles related to implementation and assessment remain. Future research should focus on identifying effective strategies for integrating social accountability into clinical training, considering diverse regional and cultural contexts, and exploring innovative approaches to evaluation and stakeholder collaboration.

BackgroundMedical schools are increasingly adopting socially accountable mission and curricula, the realisation of which are dependent on engaging individuals to embody the mission’s principles in their everyday activities as doctors. However, little is known about how graduates perceive the efforts taken by their medical school to sensitise them to social accountability values, and how they translate this into their working lives. Our aim was to explore and understand graduate perceptions of how their medical school influenced them to embody a social accountability mission in their working lives.MethodsThis was a qualitative interview study carried out with graduates/alumni [n = 51] of Christian Medical College, Vellore [CMCV], India, a school with a long-established and explicit social-accountability mission. Data coding and analysis were initially inductive and thematic using Braun and Clarke’s six step framework. MacIntyre’s virtue ethics theory framed secondary analysis, allowing us to consider the relationships between individual and contextual factors.ResultsOur participants perceived that CMCV invested heavily in selecting personal qualities aligned with the CMCV mission. They saw that these qualities were reinforced through various practices: [e.g., placements in resource limited and/or remote and rural settings]; community engagement and expectations [e.g., student self-governance]; role modelling [staff and more senior students]. Much emphasis was placed on sustaining these traditions and practices over time, creating a strong sense of identity and belonging among participants, traditions which were fostered further by the alumni network and continued engagement with CMCV post-graduation.ConclusionsEnsuring social accountable medical education depends on alignment and interactions over time between context and structures, systems and human agents. Further studies are needed to extend understanding of how students from diverse contexts experience socially accountable medical education and translate their educational experience into their thinking and practice after graduation.

Medical schools have been increasingly called upon to augment and prioritize their social accountability (SA). Approaches to increasing SA may include reorienting and focusing curricular activities on the priority health needs of the region that they serve. To inform the undergraduate medical education (UGME) curriculum renewal at our school, we examined how SA has been expressed in medical education across several countries and the impacts of SA activities on medical student experience and community-level outcomes. We conducted a narrative literature review using two electronic databases and searched for studies that reported on SA UGME activities implemented in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Studies were screened for inclusion based on predetermined eligibility criteria. We included 40 studies for descriptive analysis and categorized UGME activities into five categories: (1) distributed medical education and community-specific placements/services (32; 80%), (2) community engagement and advocacy activities (23; 58%), (3) international elective preparation and experiences (8; 20%), (4) classroom-based learning of SA-related concepts (17; 43%), and (5) student engagement in SA UGME activities (6; 15%). We categorized impact into four main outcomes: student experience (21; 53%), student competencies (11; 28%), future career choice/practice setting (15; 38%), and community feedback (7; 18%). Student experience was most frequently examined, followed by future career choice/practice setting. SA was primarily expressed in UGME activities through placement/service activities and most frequently assessed through student experiences. Student experiences of SA UGME activities have been reported to be largely positive, with benefits also reported for student competencies and influences on future career choice/practice setting. The expression of SA through community engagement in the development of curricular activities indicates a positive shift from social responsibility to SA, but a highly socially accountable curriculum would increasingly consider measures of community impact.

Introduction:Medical education in Sudan continues to evolve and progress with proliferation in the number of medical schools after 1990. Social factors and the geographical location of Sudan will increase the opportunity of success of medical schools to be socially accountable. In this analysis, we explained why social accountability is needed in Sudan and how this can enhance both excellence in medical education and primary health care, especially in rural areas.Methodology:PubMed, scopus Medline, and Google Scholar were searched for published-English literature concerning social accountability of medical schools in Sudan and worldwide were reviewed regardless of the time limit. We have also included examples of medical schools from Sudan and the Middle East to reflect on their experience in social accountability.Results:In this critical review, we have shown that social accountability will come with benefits for medical schools and the community. Implementation of social accountability in medical schools in Sudan will increase the effectiveness of medical schools' productivity, research output, and health service in urban and rural areas. There is an urgent need for social accountability alliance in Sudan to increase collaboration between medical schools. This will increase the benefits of social accountability for all stakeholders and also increases the competency in social medicine within the medical school curriculum.Conclusion:Social accountability is regarded as a sign of excellence in medical education. Primary care physicians in Sudan are expected to be the leaders in the implementation of social accountability. This analysis answered two important questions about why medical schools in Sudan should be socially accountable? And do we need a special structure of social accountability in Sudan?

BackgroundMany non-communicable diseases are rooted in social factors that determine health outcomes. Complex topics such as the social determinants of health are difficult to teach through traditional didactic methods. Since the introduction of the social accountability of medical schools’ framework in 1995 by the World Health Organisation, healthcare education institutions are encouraged to shift their traditional education models towards a socially accountable approach. Community engagement can facilitate a deeper understanding of health inequity, barriers to health care, and the social determinants of health whilst enabling institutions to meet their obligation to the communities they serve. This systematic review aimed to answer the following question: ‘‘What is the impact of community engaged healthcare education on undergraduate healthcare students' empathy and their views towards social accountability?’’.MethodsThis is a mixed-methods systematic review. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022306181). The following databases were searched: Scopus, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, BEI for primary research studies published from 1995 to September 2024. Grey literature was also searched via EThOS and Google. Studies recruiting undergraduate students of regulated healthcare professions in countries of very high development were included. A convergent integrated approach to synthesis was followed.ResultsOut of the 19,590 papers yielded from the literature search, 76 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The following subthemes were generated under three overarching themes: Social accountability (advocacy for action; giving back to the community; bigger picture—identifying social determinants of health and barriers to healthcare; barriers to social accountability), Empathy (humanise community members—everybody has a story; overcome bias and challenge attitudes, assumptions and stereotypes; cultural competence and sensitivity; empathetic communication and interpersonal skills; feeling sympathy and sadness), and Shaping the future workforce (future professional demeanour; professional interests; interprofessional education and collaboration).ConclusionsCommunity engaged education can help students better understand community needs, social determinants of health, improve empathy and cultural sensitivity, and build advocacy for social justice and change.

Objective Social accountability is an emerging theme in health care education. In previous literature, the perspectives of patients regarding the competencies that they think are required for physicians to demonstrate in this domain are scarce. This study aims to get insight into the competencies in the domain of social accountability that, according to patients, should be demonstrated by physicians. Methods Online semi-structured interviews with 18 patients in the Netherlands were conducted as part of an exploratory qualitative study. Snowballing and convenience sampling techniques were used to recruit participants. The grounded theory method was used to qualitatively analyze the interviews. Results and conclusion Patients identified five competencies of a physician in the domain of social accountability: (1) Taking patient’s characteristics into account and tailoring care to the individual patient, (2) Taking the broader community into account, (3) Balancing between care for the individual patient versus concern for society, (4) Providing guidance to patients in the navigation within the health system, and (5) Taking climate impact into account. Patients stated that the importance of these competencies are dependent on the specialism. Practice implications The formulated competencies can be used to better align medical education focussing on social accountability to the expectations of patients.

Group learning contracts in healthcare education: A systematic review.

Job Roles of the 2025 Medical Educator.

Healthcare educators experience in supporting student well-being: A scoping review.

Introduction: Social accountability in medical education is an essential part of the health education process. According to the current needs in health education, social accountabilityin medical education is useful for increasing the overall knowledge of students, helping themto reach their maximum competency. The objective of this study was to determine the effectsof social accountability medical sciences education on the knowledge of occupational healthpersonnel working in the cement field.Methods: This study was a semi-experimental study that was conducted by using the curriculumof the Ministry of Health. The occupational health course was taught as a social accountability inmedical education course in order to increase knowledge in occupational health personnel of thecement industries, and then the grades of those personnel were analyzed by SPSS 11.5. Mean,standard deviation, and a t-test with P<0.05 were calculated. The test incorporated aspects ofstudents’ knowledge, attitude and practice.Results: The total grade of the occupational health workers at the pre-test (before the accompanyingworkshops) was 4.39±2.10, and at the post-test (after the workshops), it was 17.52±3.28 with t =-14.274 and P<0.001 had significant differences. The grades in all of the educational items werestatistically significant after the workshops.Conclusion: According to the grades, the social accountability in medical education course had a positive effect on the knowledge of the occupational health personnel of cement industries.

Hispanic Generation 1.5 students are foreign-born, U.S. high school graduates who are socialized in the English dominant K-12 school system while still maintaining the native language and culture at home (Allison, 2006; Blumenthal, 2002; Harklau, Siegal, & Losey, 1999; Rumbault & Ima, 1988). When transitioning from high school to college, these students sometimes assess into ESL courses based on their English language abilities, and because of this ESL placement, Hispanic Generation 1.5 students might have different engagement experiences than their mainstream peers. Engagement is a critical factor in student success and long-term retention because students’ positive and negative engagement experiences affect their membership and sense of belonging at the institution. The purpose of this study was to describe the engagement and membership experiences of Hispanic Generation 1.5 students’ at a Massachusetts community college. This study employed naturalistic inquiry within an embedded descriptive case study design that included three units of analysis: the students’ engagement experiences in (a) ESL courses, (b) developmental courses, and (c) mainstream courses. The main source of data was in-depth interviews with Hispanic Generation 1.5 students at Commonwealth of Massachusetts Community College. Criterion sampling was used to select the interview participants, ensuring that all participants were native Spanish speakers and were taking or had taken at least one ESL course at the institution. The study findings show that these Hispanic Generation 1.5 students at the college did not perceive peer engagement as critical to academic success. Most times the participants avoided peer engagement outside of the classroom, especially with fellow Hispanic students, who they felt would deter them from their English language development and general academic work. Engagement with ESL faculty and ESL academic support staff played the most critical role in the participants’ sense of belonging and success, and students who were required to engage with faculty and academic support staff outside of the classroom were the most satisfied with their educational experiences. While the participants were all disappointed with some aspect of their ESL placement, they valued the ESL engagement experiences more than the engagement experiences while completing developmental and credit coursework.

ABSTRACTMedical education provides a locus to apply the principles of social justice to advocate for indigenous health inequities. Within the education field, social accountability measures have been used to increase equity. This study uses a social accountability lens to explore the perspectives and experiences of academic and clinical leaders, students, and patients engaged with the Hauora Māori curriculum at the University of Otago Christchurch. Using Kaupapa Māori research as a theoretical framework, and drawing on qualitative analysis, three themes were identified; horopaki/contexts, mihini/mechanisms and tukunga iho/outcomes. These three themes described the activities, enablers and mechanisms that identified the Hauora Māori curriculum as a method for achieving social accountability among Māori communities, medical education, and health services.