Impacts of the Accreditation Process for Undergraduate Medical Schools: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study is to identify, synthesize and communicate research findings; identify research gaps; and formulate recommendations for future research regarding the impact of the accreditation process on undergraduate medical schools around the world.

Method

This scoping review followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses–extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The electronic search was performed up to March 2024 to identify studies that investigated the impact of the accreditation process on undergraduate medical schools. Two independent reviewers performed the selection process and extracted data from the included studies to perform a qualitative analysis.

Results

The search identified 5148 references. After the selection process, 31 studies from 14 countries were included for data extraction. Studies highlighted five main themes: curricular and governance changes, continuous quality improvement, students' performance, school recognition and student satisfaction, and accreditation data sharing proposal. Three studies presented negative points related to accreditation process.

Conclusion

The accreditation process induced both positive impacts and negative burdens for undergraduate medical schools. Continuous quality improvement is a common element identified by studies to help stakeholders ensure that accreditation improves the quality of medical education and, consequently, the health care provided. Experiences with accreditation should be shared and reported to improve the quality of medical education worldwide. Future studies must be carried out with a clear description of the domains and criteria considered during the accreditation process as well as the outcome measures used.