Social Accountability in Clinical Education: A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Clinical education serves as a vital bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application, preparing healthcare professionals to meet societal health needs. Social accountability, as defined by the World Health Organization, obliges educational institutions to align education, research, and service activities with community health priorities. Although widely recognized, the integration of social accountability into clinical education remains underexplored, with notable gaps in evaluation, curriculum alignment, and implementation strategies. This scoping review's purpose is to bridge the existing knowledge gap by synthesizing current evidence, analysing various implementation methods, identifying barriers and evaluation frameworks, and outlining opportunities for advancing socially accountable clinical training.

Methods: This scoping review synthesizes current evidence on embedding social accountability within clinical education. Guided by the Population-Concept-Context (PCC) framework, the review asked: How is social accountability integrated into clinical education for healthcare professionals, students, and educators across clinical training settings? Studies involving healthcare students, professionals, and educators in hospitals, community clinics, and rural placements were included. A comprehensive search of six databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC) was conducted from inception up to February 28, 2025. Only English-language publications were included. Data extraction followed Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, with thematic analysis conducted using Braun and Clarke's approach.

Results: From 893 identified records, 58 studies met the inclusion criteria. Key themes emerged, including curricular integration, faculty engagement, barriers to implementation, community engagement, practical applications, Educational Outcomes and evaluation strategies.

Conclusion: Integrating social accountability into clinical education promotes equity in healthcare and prepares graduates to address systemic health challenges. However, persistent obstacles related to implementation and assessment remain. Future research should focus on identifying effective strategies for integrating social accountability into clinical training, considering diverse regional and cultural contexts, and exploring innovative approaches to evaluation and stakeholder collaboration.