Reflection on the future of medical care: Challenges of social accountability from the viewpoints of care providers and patients

Abstract

Introduction: Clearly, there are some challenges and difficultiesin fulfilling social accountability which should be identified anddealt with in order to reach the ultimate goal. The main objectiveof this study was to identify the challenges associated with socialaccountability.Methods: In this qualitative study, focus groups and in-depthsemi-structured interview were used to obtain the opinions andexperiences of 35 people with 4 focus groups of students, facultymembers, patients and their companions in Jahrom University ofMedical Sciences. Purpose-based sampling was performed. Theparticipants asked “What is social accountability?” And thenit continued with the more specific question, i.e. “What factorsincrease or decrease social accountability?” After identifying thecategories and sub-categories, conventional content analysis wasused to analyze the data.Results: Overall, 97 codes were extracted from the text and fivemain categories were revealed: notification, sense of responsibility,practical education, and professional status and ethics.Conclusion: Since there are numerous challenges in the field ofsocial accountability, it is essential that we understand the challengesand barriers and take effective steps to implement reforms.Keywords: Social accountability; Qualitative research; Professionalism; Ethics