Background and aims Widening Participation (WP) and Widening Access (WA) endeavours to widen opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This holds significance within medicine considering the diversifying patient-population, that is not yet reflected within the practicing-workforce or student-population. Despite increased efforts towards improving this, there is limited evidence-based knowledge as to how much of an effect this work is having. Our review further explores this.

Methods A critical literature review was conducted via an online search-strategy of eight educational databases, one medical database and use of grey literature.

Results On analysis, it became clear there was a multifactorial foundation to this issue. The use of terminology with inconsistent definitions, even between well-established institutions, has led to ambiguity and interchangeable use of the terms WA and WP. This is despite WA being a singular division of the WP initiative. Another aspect lies in the discrepancy of efforts towards known WP barriers. This has led to skewed interpretation of WP intervention and disproportionate focus on the issue of socioeconomic status, discounting other barriers such as ethnicity, disability and gender. There is also insufficient research into the results of WP past the point of medical school.

Conclusion Despite substantial contact, there is a lack of evidence supporting positive long-term effects. Most likely due to misalignment of core ideals constituting WP and WA, along with limited literature availability, there becomes insufficient grounds to express more than minimal impact produced by WP in medicine. WP is of critical importance to the medical sector not only in education but also practice, and as such the leading voices in medicine need to be aware of its current state. This would fundamentally serve the health of future populations, enabling a wider populace to not only enter medicine but participate and flourish within it.