A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditions
Abstract Background People with long-term chronic conditions often struggle to access and navigate complex health and social services. Social prescription (SP) interventions, a patient-centred approach, help individuals identify their holistic needs and increase access to non-clinical resources, thu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17736-2 |
| _version_ | 1797276279935860736 |
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| author | Uday Narayan Yadav Grish Paudel Saruna Ghimire Bhushan Khatiwada Ashmita Gurung Shradha S. Parsekar Sabuj Kanti Mistry |
| author_facet | Uday Narayan Yadav Grish Paudel Saruna Ghimire Bhushan Khatiwada Ashmita Gurung Shradha S. Parsekar Sabuj Kanti Mistry |
| author_sort | Uday Narayan Yadav |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background People with long-term chronic conditions often struggle to access and navigate complex health and social services. Social prescription (SP) interventions, a patient-centred approach, help individuals identify their holistic needs and increase access to non-clinical resources, thus leading to improved health and well-being. This review explores existing SP interventions for people with long-term chronic conditions and identifies the opportunities and challenges of implementing them in primary healthcare settings. Methods This rapid review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines and searched relevant articles in three databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science) by using subject headings and keywords combined with Boolean operators. The search encompassed articles published between January 2010 and June 2023. Two authors independently conducted study screening and data abstraction using predefined criteria. A descriptive synthesis process using content analysis was performed to summarise the literature. Results Fifteen studies were included, with all but one conducted in the United Kingdom, and revealed that social prescribers help guide patients with long-term chronic conditions to various local initiatives related to health and social needs. Effective implementation of SP interventions relies on building strong relationships between social prescribers and patients, characterised by trust, empathy, and effective communication. A holistic approach to addressing the unmet needs of people with long-term chronic conditions, digital technology utilisation, competent social prescribers, collaborative healthcare partnerships, clinical leadership, and access to local resources are all vital components of successful SP intervention. However, the implementation of SP interventions faces numerous challenges, including accessibility and utilisation barriers, communication gaps, staffing issues, an unsupportive work environment, inadequate training, lack of awareness, time management struggles, coordination and collaboration difficulties, and resource constraints. Conclusion The present review emphasises the importance of addressing the holistic needs of people with long-term chronic conditions through collaboration and coordination, training of social prescribers, community connections, availability of local resources, and primary care leadership to ensure successful interventions, ultimately leading to improved patient health and well-being outcomes. This study calls for the need to develop or utilise appropriate tools that can capture people's holistic needs, as well as an implementation framework to guide future contextual SP interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:25:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9d77ab6d856c44919374180c1a9794c0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:25:01Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-9d77ab6d856c44919374180c1a9794c02024-03-05T17:08:17ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582024-01-0124111710.1186/s12889-024-17736-2A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditionsUday Narayan Yadav0Grish Paudel1Saruna Ghimire2Bhushan Khatiwada3Ashmita Gurung4Shradha S. Parsekar5Sabuj Kanti Mistry6National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Well-Being Research, The Australian National UniversitySchool of Health Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland UniversityDepartment of Sociology & Gerontology and Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami UniversityDepartment of Public Health, Torres UniversityDepartment of Public Health, Torres UniversityIndependent Freelance ConsultantCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South WalesAbstract Background People with long-term chronic conditions often struggle to access and navigate complex health and social services. Social prescription (SP) interventions, a patient-centred approach, help individuals identify their holistic needs and increase access to non-clinical resources, thus leading to improved health and well-being. This review explores existing SP interventions for people with long-term chronic conditions and identifies the opportunities and challenges of implementing them in primary healthcare settings. Methods This rapid review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines and searched relevant articles in three databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science) by using subject headings and keywords combined with Boolean operators. The search encompassed articles published between January 2010 and June 2023. Two authors independently conducted study screening and data abstraction using predefined criteria. A descriptive synthesis process using content analysis was performed to summarise the literature. Results Fifteen studies were included, with all but one conducted in the United Kingdom, and revealed that social prescribers help guide patients with long-term chronic conditions to various local initiatives related to health and social needs. Effective implementation of SP interventions relies on building strong relationships between social prescribers and patients, characterised by trust, empathy, and effective communication. A holistic approach to addressing the unmet needs of people with long-term chronic conditions, digital technology utilisation, competent social prescribers, collaborative healthcare partnerships, clinical leadership, and access to local resources are all vital components of successful SP intervention. However, the implementation of SP interventions faces numerous challenges, including accessibility and utilisation barriers, communication gaps, staffing issues, an unsupportive work environment, inadequate training, lack of awareness, time management struggles, coordination and collaboration difficulties, and resource constraints. Conclusion The present review emphasises the importance of addressing the holistic needs of people with long-term chronic conditions through collaboration and coordination, training of social prescribers, community connections, availability of local resources, and primary care leadership to ensure successful interventions, ultimately leading to improved patient health and well-being outcomes. This study calls for the need to develop or utilise appropriate tools that can capture people's holistic needs, as well as an implementation framework to guide future contextual SP interventions.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17736-2Long-term chronic conditionsChallengesOpportunitiesSocial prescriptionPrimary health care |
| spellingShingle | Uday Narayan Yadav Grish Paudel Saruna Ghimire Bhushan Khatiwada Ashmita Gurung Shradha S. Parsekar Sabuj Kanti Mistry A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditions BMC Public Health Long-term chronic conditions Challenges Opportunities Social prescription Primary health care |
| title | A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditions |
| title_full | A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditions |
| title_fullStr | A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditions |
| title_short | A rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long-term chronic conditions |
| title_sort | rapid review of opportunities and challenges in the implementation of social prescription interventions for addressing the unmet needs of individuals living with long term chronic conditions |
| topic | Long-term chronic conditions Challenges Opportunities Social prescription Primary health care |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17736-2 |
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