Research into recruitment: critical gaps in the literature.

The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature available internationally on recruitment into psychiatry. A 5-stage search strategy was followed to identify all relevant studies published between 1999-2012. These were then critically appraised using a standardized tool, and the results summarized. A total of 128 studies were identified. Surveys were the most common design (40%), and 76% of studies used medical students as subjects; 36% of the studies were from the USA, followed by 25% from the UK. There were no studies found from South America. There is a need for more research into other potential applicant groups before medical school, and for research carried out in Africa, Asia and South America.