Identifying key outcomes for social prescribing research in the US: a Delphi method study

The US has a history of using social prescribing (SP) to address social determinants of health. Recently, and in alignment with global trends, more SP programs are being developed with a broader focus on community-based social supports and social connection. As SP programs proliferate in the US in the absence of a synthesizable evidence base, this study sought to identify key common outcomes to help enable evidence synthesis to guide practice, policy, research, and investment in social prescribing in the US. This study used a three-phase modified Delphi Method approach to develop a set of key common outcomes for SP research in the US. A mapping review of global social prescribing literature identifying 347 unique outcomes organized in 18 categories of data was followed by two rounds of Delphi Method processes including iterative surveys, group dialogue, and member checking with purposive samples of 17 international and 21 US SP experts and stakeholders. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to create ranked lists of priority patient and system outcomes. The study identified 10 patient outcomes and six system outcomes as priority for study of SP programs in the US. Wellbeing, social connection, and coping/resilience were the three top priority patient outcomes. Health equity, return on investment, and health system cost savings were the top three priority health system outcomes. Consistent study of these key common outcomes has the potential to enable evidence synthesis of social prescribing research and, in turn, drive evidence-based practice, investment, and policy in this fast-growing arena of public health practice in the US.