Evaluation of Requirements of Social Accountability in the Curriculum of General Practitioners Based on Structural Equation Models

Social accountability in medical education is interpreted as the willingness and ability to adapt to the needs of patients and the healthcare system both nationally and globally. The speed of changes in the health system and the community’s needs has necessitated the training of physicians who are ready to face the problems of the 21st century. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the requirements of social accountability in the curriculum of general practitioners. This was an applied (in terms of goal) and descriptive and correlational (regarding data collection technique) research. The statistical population included experts of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, professors of the school of medicine, and physicians working in the healthcare system. Subjects were selected through non-random purposive sampling. In addition, data were collected applying a researcher-made questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by content validity and factor analysis methods. Moreover, its reliability was estimated at Cronbach’s alpha of 0.85. Furthermore, data analysis was performed in SPSS and AMOS. In this study, there was a relationship between the clinical and research components. In addition, an association was found between educational and clinical components, as well as between advocacy and educational components. On the other hand, while a relationship existed between the advocacy and clinical components, there was no significant association between educational and research components, as well as between advocacy and research components. In the end, a significant relationship was observed between social accountability and educational, clinical, and research fields. According to the results of this study, it is vital to focus on social accountability in the curriculum of general practitioners based on CARE model as a guide tool for the implementation of the accountability program.