Introduction: Health professionals’ social responsibility in health resists translation into skills that can be taught and implemented concretely in professional practice.
Purpose of the research: This study, conducted by the Réseau International Francophone pour la Responsabilité Sociale en Santé (RIFRESS), aims to develop a consensus on the components of doctors’ social responsibility in health from the perspective of experts in medical education. Its findings are intended to inform the creation of a skills profile. A three-round Delphi consensus method was used, with an open first round and closed second and third rounds. Mesydel software was used to organize the process and to do the qualitative analysis of the first round. SPSS was used for consensus analysis for rounds 2 and 3.
Results: Thirty-four experts responded to the study. During the first round, 62 codes emerged, grouped into 13 themes. From the initial analysis, 40 items were submitted for the Delphi round 2. Of these 40 items, 23 came out consensual after the second round, as did 13 of the 18 resubmitted items after the third. Examples of items that emerged as consensual are eco-responsibility, advocacy, defense of the common good, critical analysis of practice, and collaborative leadership.
Conclusions: The present study represents a much-needed effort to concretely define the components of doctors’ social responsibility in health. Local context must be taken into account when using these findings. They can help to train tomorrow’s doctors to better meet the priority health needs of society in a profoundly changing world.