Translating Social Accountability Values into Practice: Doctors' Experiences from Problem-Based Learning Medical...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Social Accountability

Background:

• Medical schools are vital for training physicians to meet community health needs.
• Physicians are expected to practice social accountability, emphasizing relevance, equity, quality, and cost-effectiveness.
• Problem-based learning (PBL) is a common medical curriculum approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how medical graduates trained in PBL curricula understand and apply social accountability values.
• To assess the effectiveness of PBL in preparing graduates for socially accountable practice.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey was administered to University of Sharjah medical graduates.
• The survey assessed exposure to and practice of social accountability values during training and clinical practice.

Main Results:

• Most respondents (73%) practiced in the UAE, primarily in secondary healthcare.
• PBL effectively covered local health issues but showed lower integration of multidisciplinary collaboration and cost-effectiveness.
• While professionalism and quality were strong, gaps were identified in patient-centered care, cost-effectiveness, and interdisciplinary teamwork in practice.

Conclusions:

• A discrepancy exists between undergraduate medical training and the practical application of social accountability values.
• Enhancing medical curricula to explicitly embed social accountability principles is necessary.
• This is essential for equipping future doctors to meet evolving community health demands.