Widening access to medicine: A realist review.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Despite policy drivers and "on-the-ground" activity to encourage applicants from under-represented minority groups (URMs) into medicine, their representation remains limited because of the challenge of overcoming complex societal and systemic barriers. This realist review sought to review the existing literature to identify underlying CIMOs with respect to widening access (WA) to medical school.

Method

We conducted a realist literature review informed by Pawson's five iterative strategies and consistent with RAMESES standards. We searched eight electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, JBI EBP, ERIC, Scopus, Proquest Public Health) to identify studies published from 1990 to April 2023 on WA pathways into medical school. We used a realist logi

SUBMITTER: Bartle E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12805216 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature