Project Overview

Social Accountability

"[Medical Schools have] the obligation to direct their education, research and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation they have amandate to serve. The priority health concerns are to be identified jointly by governments, health care organizations, health professionals and the public."

- World Health Organization, 1995

Articles of interest

A Vision for Canadian Medical Schools

Social Accountability Partners Pentagram1

1 Adapted from: World Health Organization. (2000). Towards Unity for Health: Challenges and opportunities for partnership in health development. Geneva: WHO. Available at: http://www.who.int/entity/hrh/documents/en/TUFH_challenges.pdf Accessed 7 August 2006.

Boelen and Heck’s (1995) Definitions of Core Social Values

  • Relevance
    • content and the context of a... school’s mission and its core activities…in synchrony with the context of the communities it serves
  • Quality
    • use of evidence-based data and appropriate technology to deliver comprehensive health care to individuals and populations
  • Cost-effective
    • health care systems that have the greatest impact on the health of a society while making the best use of its resources
  • Equity
    • making high-quality health care available to all - enhanced by health professional education programs that exposes

Social Accountability Grid 2

Domains
Social Values Education Research Service
Quality      
Equity      
Relevance      
Cost-effectiveness      

2 Adapted from: Boelen, C., & Heck, J.E. (1995). Defining and Measuring the Social Accountability of Medical Schools. Geneva: WHO. Available at: www.the-networktufh.org/publications_resources/furtherreading.asp

Social Accountability Planning Cycle