Use and impact of social prescribing: a mixed-methods feasibility study protocol

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Primary Care Research
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Social prescribing addresses social determinants of health, crucial for 80-90% of health outcomes.
• Limited evidence exists due to poor data linkage between social prescribing activities and health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify characteristics of individuals receiving social prescriptions.
• To describe social prescribing use and estimate its impact, particularly in a homeless subgroup.
• To explore contextual factors influencing social prescribing adoption in primary care and improve data quality.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative analysis of 5-year social prescribing data from the RCGP RSC sentinel network (4M+ patients).
• Qualitative component using advisory group meetings (6-8 participants) with primary care practitioners.
• Framework analysis of advisory group outputs to develop a survey instrument for primary care practitioners.

Main Results:

• Data extraction from the RCGP RSC network will provide insights into social prescribing patterns.
• Qualitative findings will identify barriers and facilitators to social prescribing adoption and data quality improvement.
• A survey instrument will be developed to gather practitioner perspectives on social prescribing.

Conclusions:

• This feasibility study will enhance the evidence base for social prescribing.
• Findings will inform strategies for wider adoption and improved data quality in primary care.
• The study contributes to understanding the impact of social prescribing on health outcomes.