Social Appropriation of Knowledge as an expression of University Social Responsibility in health sciences: a scoping review.
Abstract
Introduction. University Social Responsibility (USR) guides higher education institutions in addressing societal needs. In the health sciences, it involves aligning teaching, research, and community engagement with the health priorities of communities. On the other hand, Social Appropriation of Knowledge (SAK) represents a practice of co-creación with communities. The relationship between USR and SAK strengthens educational developed in collaboration with external communities. Objective. To identify and map experiences in which the health sciences university community promotes Social Appropriation of Knowledge (SAK) in external communities as an expression of University Social Responsibility (USR). Methods. A scoping review was conducted, including primary studies that examined SAK practices associated with USR in external communities and promoted by at least one member affiliated with a health sciences faculty. The literature search was performed across four databases. Data extraction included the study objective, university and community participants, implemented actions, co-creation processes, and SAK outcomes. Results. A total of 218 records were identified, of which seven studies published between 2013 and 2025 met the inclusion criteria. Service-learning was the predominant approach, alongside an institutional community-engaged medical education model, a student-led campaign, a science outreach initiative, and a community-based participatory research process. The experiences spanned a continuum of co-creation, ranging from predominantly unidirectional knowledge transfer to genuine knowledge co-creation with communities. Reported outcomes included community empowerment, knowledge transfer, participant satisfaction, and strengthened university–community partnerships. Conclusions. SAK is best understood as a relational, sustained, and collaborative process built with communities rather than as a unidirectional transfer of information. Integrating USR and SAK as cross-cutting components of health sciences education represents an opportunity to train socially accountable health professionals.
Downloads
-
Abstract23
-
pdf (Español (España))34
-
pdf34
-
xml (Español (España))3
References
1. Valdez-García JE. Responsabilidad social de las escuelas de medicina. Rev Mex Educ Med. 2025, 12(2), 40-41. https://doi.org/10.24875/RMEM.M25000014
2. Villamizar-Gómez L, Rodríguez-González NS, Restrepo-Guarnizo MC. Escalas sobre Responsabilidad Social Universitaria en estudiantes universitarios: una revisión de alcance. Rev Esp Educ Med. 2025, 6, 642611. https://doi.org/10.6018/edumed.642611
3. Vallaeys F. La responsabilidad social universitaria: un nuevo modelo universitario contra la mercantilización. Rev Iberoam Educ Super. 2014, 5(12), 105-117. https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2007-28722014000100006
4. Aveiro-Róbalo TR, Escobar-Salinas JS, Ayala-Servín JN, et al. Importancia de las sociedades científicas de estudiantes de medicina en Latinoamérica. Investig Educ Med. 2019, 8(29), 23-31. https://doi.org/10.22201/facmed.20075057e.2019.29.1761
5. Coelho M, Menezes I. University Social Responsibility, Service Learning, and Students' Personal, Professional, and Civic Education. Front Psychol. 2021, 12, 617300. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.617300
6. World Health Organization. WHO community engagement framework for quality, people-centred and resilient health services [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017 [citado 2026 Jul 22]. Disponible en: https://pmnch.who.int/resources/publications/i/item/WHO-HIS-SDS-2017.15?utm_source=chatgpt.com
7. Haldane V, Chuah FLH, Srivastava A, el al. Community participation in health services development, implementation, and evaluation: A systematic review of empowerment, health, community, and process outcomes. PLoS One. 2019, 14(5), e0216112. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216112
8. Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación. Política Pública de Apropiación Social del Conocimiento en el marco de la Ciencia, la Tecnología e Innovación (CTeI). Bogotá: MinCiencias; 2021. https://minciencias.gov.co/sites/default/files/politica_publica_de_apropiacion_social_del_conocimiento.pdf
9. Arksey H, O'Malley L. Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Methodol. 2005, 8(1), 19-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616
10. Levac D, Colquhoun H, O'Brien KK. Scoping studies: Advancing the methodology. Implement Sci. 2010, 5, 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-5-69
11. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, et al. PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018, 169(7), 467-473. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850
12. Plumb E, Roe K, Plumb J, et al. The use of international service learning initiatives for global health education: Case studies from Rwanda and Mexico. Health Promot Pract. 2013, 14(3), 334-342. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839913476516
13. Hinojosa-Alcalde I, Soler S. Critical feminist service-learning: A physical activity program in a woman's prison. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021, 18(14), 7501. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147501
14. Strasser R, Hogenbirk JC, Minore B, et al. Transforming health professional education through social accountability: Canada's Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Med Teach. 2013, 35(6), 490-496. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2013.774334
15. Díaz N, Sánchez M, Miró Ò. Análisis de una experiencia de 15 años de interacción entre urgencias y la comunidad educativa. Emergencias. 2018, 30(6), 424-432. https://revistaemergencias.org/numeros-anteriores/volumen-30/numero-6/analisis-de-una-experiencia-de-15-anos-de-interaccion-entre-urgencias-y-la-comunidad-educativa/
16. Masumbuko-Claude K, Hawkes MT. Ebola crisis in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: Student-led community engagement. Pathog Glob Health. 2020, 114(4), 218-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/20477724.2020.1754654
17. Valderrama MJ, Nebreda E, López-Ejeda N, et al. When teaching and learning microbiology engage societal needs. Microb Biotechnol. 2025, 18(1), e70098. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70098
18. McBeth R, Sandberg C, Varewny V, et al. Co-creating health system innovation with people who use drugs. Harm Reduct J. 2025, 22, 176. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-025-01326-5
Copyright (c) 2026 Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The works published in this magazine are subject to the following terms:
1. The Publications Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) preserves the economic rights (copyright) of the published works and favors and allows them to be reused under the use license indicated in point 2.
2. The works are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivative 4.0 license.
3. Self-archiving conditions. Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate electronically the pre-print versions (version before being evaluated and sent to the journal) and / or post-print (version evaluated and accepted for publication) of their works before publication , since it favors its circulation and earlier diffusion and with it a possible increase in its citation and reach among the academic community.
