Skip to search boxSkip to navigationSkip to main content

The impact of social prescribing services on service users: A systematic review of the evidence

Research Output: Contribution to journal Review article Peer-review

Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well

Abstract

Social prescribing initiatives are widely implemented in the UK National Health Service to integrate health and social care. Social prescribing is a service in primary care that links patients with non-medical needs to sources of support provided by the community and voluntary sector to help improve their health and wellbeing. Such programmes usually include navigators, who work with referred patients and issue onward referrals to sources of non-medical support. This systematic review aimed to assess the evidence of service user outcomes of social prescribing programmes based on primary care and involving navigators. We searched 11 databases, the grey literature, and the reference lists of relevant studies to identify the available evidence on the impact of social prescribing on service users. Searches were limited to literature written in English. No date restrictions were applied, and searches were conducted to June 2018. Findings were synthesized narratively, employing thematic analysis. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2011 was used to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The evidence base is mixed, some studies found improvements in health and wellbeing, health-related behaviours, self-concepts, feelings, social contacts and day-to-day functioning post-social prescribing, whereas others have not. The review also shows that the evaluation methodologies utilized were variable in quality. In order to assess the success of social prescribing services, more high quality and comparable evaluations need to be conducted in the future.International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews number: CRD42017079664. BACKGROUND METHODS RESULTS CONCLUSION

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Review article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 664-673 (10 pages)

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

European Journal of Public Health (Volume 30, Issue 4)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 14/06/2019

Publication status

Published - 14/06/2019

ISSN

1101-1262

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/623626
  • Scopus: 85085696098
  • PubMed: 31199436

Access to documents

Publication metrics

PlumX, opens in new tab

156
Mentions
4
Captures
261