Social Accountability, Medical Schools and a Rural Vancouver Island Community

• Main Author: Anawati, Alex
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: UBC Journal of Family Practice Research and Scholarship 2015
• Subjects: Social Accountability; Rural; British Columbia; McNeill; First Nations
• Online Access: http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/familypractice/article/view/186896

OBJECTIVE & DESIGN: The purpose of this study is to identify socially accountable principles in the context of a rural Vancouver Island community. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Port McNeill, a rural, North Vancouver Island community, was chosen for the study and intensive interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 12 key stakeholders from the community. METHOD: These interviews were analyzed using elements of grounded theory an eventually categorized in concordance with the definition of social accountability as a theoretical framework. FINDINGS: Socially accountable principles were categorized under 1) Target Population 2) Priority Health Concerns, delineated by: relevance, quality, cost effectiveness, and equity, and 3) Key Stakeholders. Common themes that emerged include: A sense of community that extends beyond the Port McNeill to include the entire North Island region; the marginalization of First Nations and Loggers in an already marginalized region; innovations to the current medical model to include a more holistic approach to health care; and tremendous inequality between First Nations and non-First Nations populations. CONCLUSION: Even with the limitations of the study, the socially accountable principles identified justify the need for further investigation to ensure accountability in the delivery of health care in a very complex and dynamic environment.