Social Accountability in Medical Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

Social accountability (SA) in medical education is the obligation to direct health professionals’ education to address the priority health needs of communities. Despite the extensive SA-related literature, trends in its prevalence and scope remain unexplained. This study aimed to analyse trends in SA in medical education publications, information clusters and any paucity in integrating SA into medical education. The PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for publications from 1995 to 2023 without language restrictions. VOSviewer was used to conduct the bibliometric analysis. This study retrieved 1,292 articles on SA in medical education, which showed an increasing trend in SA research year by year. The United States (US) had the most publications (512), and the University of British Columbia had the most publications (n = 39). Bibliographic coupling analysis identified five clusters of information related to SA in medical education: SA indicators and medical school accreditation; medical students’ attitudes towards underserved populations; the role of physicians in translating SA into medical education; the impact of socially accountable medical education; and preparing medical students for achieving SA in medical education. The findings demonstrate a rising trend in SA research in medical education. However, collaboration networks were stronger in developed countries, indicating the need to enhance research networks with developing countries. The five clusters of SA-related information could serve as a foundation for future research. The study highlights the importance of investigating obstacles to the adoption of SA in medical education and implementing initiatives to foster its comprehensive integration.