Evaluation of Scientific and Research Productions of Reproductive Health Graduates for social Accountability: An Auditory Study

Abstract

Introduction: An educational system that responds to the needs of society, besides needs assessment and community-based education, should allocate part of its research to society’s needs and priorities. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the scientific and research products of reproductive health graduates in the field of social accountability in Iran. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted as an auditory study on all submitted dissertations in the field of reproductive health from 6 schools of midwifery nursing in Iran from 2010 to 2021. The first outcome of this study was the evaluation of scientific and research products of reproductive health graduates in the field of social accountability and the second one was the evaluation of these dissertations in three levels of responsibility, responsiveness, and accountability. The standardized and localized social accountability scale was used to evaluate the social responsiveness of the dissertations. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Results: In this study, 235 PhD reproductive health dissertations were assessed. The obtained score for social accountability was 34.5 (range: 30-40). Regarding social responsiveness, the obtained score was 63.8 (range: 50-70), and regarding the social responsibility dimension, the obtained score was 90 (range: 70-100). Conclusion: It is necessary to qualitatively evaluate the titles and objectives of the dissertations in this field before their approval and implementation. It is increasingly emphasized to achieve the research priorities of the field and, more importantly, the logic of this research to meet the health needs of the target community.