How do Educational Staff and Students in a Medical School Perceive Social Accountability? A Multi-Perspective Qualitative Interview Study

Background: The majority of medical education is currently biomedical, while the concept of social accountability is not always systematically integrated. Education on social accountability equips students with the knowledge and skills to be socially accountable health professionals. However, the existing definitions of social accountability are not consistently applied, and the perspectives of important stakeholders are lacking. This study explores the perceptions of medical students and educational staff members on the construct of social accountability. Methods: This study uses an exploratory qualitative design in which online semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 educational staff members and 16 students at a medical school in the Netherlands. Participants were recruited using purposeful sampling and snowballing techniques. The interviews were qualitatively analyzed according to the grounded theory approach. Results and Conclusion: Amongst the participants, there was unfamiliarity with the term, social accountability. Participants mentioned the impact on society, institutional responsibility, and context-dependency as all features of social accountability. In line with previous studies, participants identified community-based learning and working, patient-centeredness, and diversity as sub-aspects of social accountability. Further aspects identified by the participants are sustainability, moral issues, and interprofessional collaboration. This study provided more insight into the construct of social accountability from the perspectives educational staff and students at a medical school.