The implementation of social accountability in medical schools in Eastern Mediterranean region: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES: Social Accountability is a relatively new approach in medical education, Information about its implementation is scarce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The objective of this scoping review was to investigate the patterns and trends in reporting the social accountability (SA) of medical schools in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). METHODS: Using the Arksey and O'Malley approach, we conducted literature searches between 1995 and 2022 in the following databases: Scopus, Web of Sciences, CINAHL, PubMed, and Google Scholar using the search terms social accountability, medical school, faculty of medicine, Eastern Mediterranean Region, EMRO region. Using qualitative theme analysis, the extracted, coded, and analyzed data were reported. RESULTS: The screening of various databases revealed 164 articles, 26 articles were finally included in the review. The 26 included articles originated from only seven out of the 22 EMR countries: Iran, Sudan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco, and Pakistan. The articles included were categorized under six themes: defining the SA and compliance with SA values and concepts, accreditation, educational program, perceptions of faculty and students, admission of students, and measurement of social accountability. CONCLUSIONS: The publications related to SA from the EM regions countries revealed similarities with other parts of the world in that the SA concept is not effectively translated into real day-to-day activities in medical schools. More work is needed from leaders in education and health systems to examine SA enablers and improve the uptake of the concept.