Boelen and Heck authored the in 1995, which remains the standard used by most schools. Social Accountability has been defined as:
鈥淭he obligation to direct [the School鈥檚] education, research and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation they have a mandate to serve. The priority health concerns are to be identified jointly by governments, health care organizations, health professionals and the public.鈥
The increased emphasis on social accountability in Canada鈥檚 medical schools is reflected in our accreditation standards. The Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) ensures social accountability is embedded in the within the MD Program.
The overarching goal is to ensure the educational programs produce competent healthcare professionals who are able to serve their population.
According to CACMS, a medical school鈥檚 social accountability should be:
The accreditation and metrics will ensure that we, as a leading Faculty of Medicine, remain contemporary in our commitment to social accountability.
Social accountability is about addressing society鈥檚 most pressing concerns in alignment with the values of equity, relevance, effectiveness, and quality. Boelen and Heck鈥檚 partnership pentagram highlights the role of medical schools in achieving social accountability by engaging and collaborating with:
