Australian link worker social prescribing programs: An integrative review

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Social prescribing programs are increasingly recognized in Australia for addressing non-medical health and social needs.
• Effective evaluation is crucial for program development, research, and policy refinement.
• Diverse outcome measures hinder consistent benchmarking across different social prescribing initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and describe outcome domains, measures, and evaluation methodologies of link worker social prescribing programs in Australia.
• To synthesize the current evidence base on social prescribing program evaluations within the Australian context.
• To provide recommendations for future research and policy development.

Main Methods:

• An integrative literature review was conducted, searching 14 electronic databases for studies on Australian link worker social prescribing programs.
• Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by multiple authors to minimize bias.
• Included studies underwent quality and risk of bias assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

Main Results:

• Six studies met the inclusion criteria, categorizing outcomes into person-level, system-level, and program implementation domains.
• Global and social well-being were consistently evaluated at the person-level, with the WHO Quality of Life Brief Assessment and UCLA Loneliness Scale being common tools.
• Health service utilization was the primary system-level outcome measured.

Conclusions:

• The review highlights the current state of evidence for social prescribing in Australia and identifies key outcome domains and measurement tools.
• A recommendation is made to develop a core outcome set, involving stakeholders and consumers, to facilitate consistent benchmarking.
• The findings can guide the refinement of social prescribing initiatives and future research, promoting methodological rigor and alignment with community needs.