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.
espanolDados los retos a los que se enfrenta la sociedad de establecer y mantener sistemas de prestacion de servicios de salud eficientes, equitativos y sostenibles, se debe instar a todos los agentes implicados a preguntarse como pueden contribuir mejor a ello. Tambien las instituciones academicas, y las facultades de medicina en particular, deben revisar el concepto de excelencia para incluir la capacidad de contribuir de forma mas significativa al funcionamiento del sistema de salud y a la salud de las personas. La adaptacion continua de las misiones de la educacion, la investigacion y la presta- cion de servicios para responder a las necesidades de salud en evolucion de la sociedad deberia reforzarse mediante el uso de estandares y mecanismos de acreditacion adecuados. Los estandares de acreditacion del Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), de la World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) y de la Conference Internationale des Doyens et des Facultes de Medecine d’Expression Francaise (CIDMEF) han sido revisadas en este contexto. Se observa que se concentran principalmente en los contenidos y los procesos de la educacion medica. Por lo tanto, se recomienda revi- sar estos estandares y que se anadan estandares nuevos que reflejen mejor el concepto de responsabilidad social, que se ilustra mediante el compromiso en tres niveles: identificar las necesidades en salud de la poblacion actual y futura, inclui- dos los determinantes de la salud; consecuentemente, adaptar las misiones y asegurarse si los efectos anticipados se han producido en el estado de salud de las personas. Para iniciar el cambio, se propone una serie de acciones futuras. EnglishWith challenges societies are facing to establish and maintain efficient, equitable and sustainable health care delivery systems, all key stakeholders are urged to question how they can best contribute. Likewise, academic institutions, medical schools particularly, must review the concept of excellence to include the capacity to make a more significant contribution to health system performance and people’s health. The continuing adaptation of education, research and service delivery missions to respond to evolving health needs of society should be enhanced by the use of appropriate accreditation standards and mechanisms. Accreditation standards of the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and the Conference Internationale des Doyens et des Facultes de Medecine d’Expression Francaise (CIDMEF) have been reviewed in this context. It is observed than they mainly concentrate on medical education content and processes. It is therefore recommended that their standards be revisited and new ones added to better reflect the concept of social accountability, which is illustrated by the three tier engagement: to identify present and future health needs of the population, including health determinants, to adapt missions accordingly and to the ensure anticipated effects have occurred on people’s health status. To initiate change, a course of future actions is proposed.
Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University (FOM/SCU) was established as community oriented school with innovative educational strategies. Social accountability represents the commitment of the medical school towards the community it serves.To assess FOM/SCU compliance to social accountability using the "Conceptualization, Production, Usability" (CPU) model.FOM/SCU's practice was reviewed against CPU model parameters. CPU consists of three domains, 11 sections and 31 parameters. Data were collected through unstructured interviews with the main stakeholders and documents review since 2005 to 2013.FOM/SCU shows general compliance to the three domains of the CPU. Very good compliance was shown to the "P" domain of the model through FOM/SCU's innovative educational system, students and faculty members. More work is needed on the "C" and "U" domains.FOM/SCU complies with many parameters of the CPU model; however, more work should be accomplished to comply with some items in the C and U domains so that FOM/SCU can be recognized as a proactive socially accountable school.
Contexte, problématique et objectifs : Les nombres restreints de diplômés sortant d’écoles de médecine peu nombreuses, et l’émigration des diplômés vers d’autres pays contribuent au faible nombre de médecins présents en Afrique subsaharienne. L’étude sur les écoles de médecine en Afrique subsaharienne a examiné les défis, les innovations et les nouvelles tendances au regard de l’éducation en médecine dans la région. Méthodes : Nous avons retenu 168 écoles de médecine; parmi les 146 qui ont été soumises à l’enquête, 105 (72 %) ont répondu. Résultats : Les observations tirées de l’étude indiquaient que les pays mettaient en priorité l’éducation médicale dans le cadre du renforcement du secteur de la santé et nous avons constaté nombre d’innovations dans la préparation « pré-médicale », l’éducation en équipe et l’usage créatif du soutien limité en matière de recherche. L’étude a aussi attiré l’attention sur le problème généralisé d’un effectif insuffisant de professeurs capables d’enseigner les sciences fondamentales et cliniques, d’une infrastructure physique peu développée et du manque d’accréditation externe. Les tendances enregistrées incluent la croissance des écoles de médecine privées, l’éducation axée sur la communauté, les partenariats internationaux et l’effet positif de la recherche pour le développement des professeurs. Dix recommandations orientent l’initiative de renforcement de l’éducation en médecine en Afrique subsaharienne.
A mong the several criteria to recognize excellence in medical education, social accountability is probably one of the most important ones. Social accountability is the capacity to respond to society's priority health needs and health system challenges to meet such needs. It emphasizes the potential of medical schools to partner with key stakeholders in the health sector and organize medical education in a way that it has the greatest chances to yield most relevant outcomes and highest impact on people's health. Entre los diferentes criterios de reconocimiento de la excelencia en la educación médica la responsabilidad social es probablemente uno de los más importantes. La responsabilidad social es la capacidad de responder a las necesidades prioritarias de salud de la sociedad y a los retos del sistema sanitario para atender tales necesidades. Se pone de relieve el potencial que tienen las facultades de medicina para colaborar con las principales partes interesadas en el sector de la salud y para organizar una educación médica que disponga de las mejores opciones para producir resultados más relevantes y el mayor impacto en la salud de las personas.
