Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41987661›Full record

SynthesisJournal of educational evaluation for health professions2026

Socioeconomic and economic factors affecting access and progression in medical schools: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Arash Arianpoor, Alexia Pena, Annette Mercer, Jennifer Cox, Dimitra Lekkas, Francis Ruel Geronimo, Heidi Waldron, John Randal, Marcus Dabner, Marita Lynagh and 8 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of educational evaluation for health professions, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Arash ArianpoorSchool of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Alexia PenaSchool of Medicine, Adelaide University-Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Annette MercerFaculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Jennifer CoxSchool of Dentistry and Medical Science, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, Australia.
Dimitra LekkasSchool of Dentistry, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Francis Ruel GeronimoSchool of Rural Medicine, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, Australia.
Heidi WaldronCurtin Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Perth, WA, Australia.
John RandalTe Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Marcus DabnerMedical School, the University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Marita LynaghSchool of Medicine & Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Nalini PatherSchool of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Nicole ShepherdRural Clinical School, University of Tasmania, Burnie, TAS, Australia.
Nigel RobbSchool of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, QLD, Australia.
Rose BerdinMedical School, the University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Tim WilkinsonDepartment of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Wendy HuSchool of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Boaz ShulrufFaculty of Medicine and Health, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Pin-Hsiang HuangSchool of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSocioeconomic disadvantage remains a major determinant of equitable access to, and progression within, medical education. This systematic review and meta-analysis examines both the impact and the magnitude of financial and economic disadvantage on student selection and progression in medical school.

methodsStudies were included if they reported associations between socioeconomic indicators (e.g., parental income, occupation, education, geographic deprivation, or premedical debt) and selection or progression outcomes, and were excluded if they lacked clearly defined economic predictors or sufficient data for binary effect sizes. Searches were conducted across PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, Embase, ProQuest, and EBSCO (2005-2025). Study selection employed an active machine-learning screening process. Extracted data included sample characteristics, socioeconomic measures, and outcome types, with risk of bias assessed using the Risk of Bias Instrument. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted where appropriate.

resultsThirty-two studies of medical programs were included, yielding 28 effect sizes for selection and 9 for progression. Household economic and educational disadvantage, identified through parental indices, was consistently associated with reduced odds of admission (odds ratio [OR], 0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.65) and poorer progression (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.53-0.59). Geographic deprivation also exerted a negative effect, particularly on selection (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.5-0.93).

conclusionSocioeconomic disadvantage exerts a pervasive influence across the medical education continuum. Addressing these inequities requires sustained financial, academic, and psychosocial support both before and during their studies. Students' economic circumstances should therefore be considered in medical school selection policy and curriculum development to further enhance equity within medical schools and the profession.

Indexed as

Economic FactorsSchool Admission CriteriaSchools, MedicalSocioeconomic FactorsStudents, MedicalHumansLow Socioeconomic StatusSocioeconomic Disparities in HealthMedical educationSchool Admission CriteriaSocioeconomic disparities

Identifiers

PMID41987661
PMCPMC13181141

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.