MEDICAL-SCHOOL COMMUNITY DIALOG - A SURVEY OF CURRENT INITIATIVES IN CANADA AND THE UNITED-STATES

Background. Medical schools are being challenged to respond to societa l needs and to engage in dialogue with the public, but there are few e mpirical data on the extent and nature of such efforts. Method. In ear ly 1992, the associate deans for medical education at all accredited m edical schools in the United States and Canada were surveyed regarding public involvement in their schools. Their descriptive responses were analyzed by computer search for key words, and correlations were dete rmined between response categories and the schools' characteristics. R esults. Of the 95 responding schools (66%), 59 (62%) regularly involve d members of the public in administrative bodies, usually those relate d to research, admission, hospital boards, and undergraduate education . Community-based schools were more likely to involve the public. Sixt y schools (63%) had taken steps to identify community needs, and these schools showed evidence of greater public involvement in administrati on. The respondents perceived public involvement as beneficial, primar ily for building commitment between a school and its community. Conclu sion. In contrast to concerns about declining trust between medical sc hools and the public, the impressions of the 95 respondents about publ ic involvement in their schools were positive. The survey results sugg est that such involvement builds mutual understanding and represents a direct and constructive response to declining trust.