The impact and potential value for medical students of implementing social prescribing projects in primary care

Social prescribing is a method of referring patients for non-clinical care through community and voluntary organisations. As part of a new primary care curriculum at King's College London, half of the cohort of second-year medical students (n = 200) took part in 'Active Practice,' where they designed and implemented exercise-related social prescribing projects on their longitudinal placement in general practice. This study aimed to examine the impact and potential value of 'Active Practice' for the students, using thematic analysis of two semi-structured focus groups (n = 7, n = 8) and free-text comments from student (n = 315) and GP tutor (n = 15) evaluation questionnaires. Five themes emerged: changes in the students' attitudes and professional identity; satisfaction and enjoyment of the project; gain of skills and knowledge; effects on the students' own physical activity and their social circles; interactions with the rest of the curriculum. These align with General Medical Council outcomes for graduates and triangulate with feedback from the national student champion scheme for social prescribing. Learning points have been noted for future Active Practice cohorts.