Occupational therapist's involvement in social prescribing: A qualitative interview study

Area of Science:

• Allied Health Professions
• Public Health
• Social Care Integration

Background:

• Social prescribing connects individuals with non-medical community activities to enhance well-being.
• Occupational therapy (OT) principles inherently align with social prescribing, yet a formal agenda is emerging.
• This study investigates UK occupational therapists' current and desired roles in social prescribing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the involvement of occupational therapists in social prescribing within the UK.
• To understand occupational therapists' perspectives on future contributions to social prescribing initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semistructured interviews with 19 occupational therapists involved in social prescribing.
• Employed thematic analysis to identify key themes in participant responses.

Main Results:

• Two main themes emerged: 'position and identity' and 'making it work'.
• Occupational therapists experienced identity challenges and role ambiguity when positioning their profession alongside social prescribing.
• Delegation to social prescribing workers occurred, but with unclear competence and supervision, highlighting a need for defined workflows and legitimate roles.

Conclusions:

• Occupational therapists perceive similarities and distinctions with social prescribing, necessitating clearer role definitions and professional identity.
• Enhanced collaboration requires defined workflows, occupational therapy involvement in supervision and service development, and recognition of both roles in addressing social determinants of health.