ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2020
Steps to benefit from social prescription: a qualitative interview study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Critical components of social prescribing programmes with a focus on older adults - a systematic review.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2023Pooled it
- Experiences of Non-Pharmaceutical Primary Care Interventions for Common Mental Health Disorders in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Groups: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Social prescribing outcomes: a mapping review of the evidence from 13 countries to identify key common outcomes.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Can Social Prescribing Foster Individual and Community Well-Being? A Systematic Review of the Evidence.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Social prescribing by community nurses in southeastern Australia: a qualitative study.Journal of research in nursing : JRN · 2026Article
- Models, implementation, and reported outcomes of social prescribing interventions: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and value of relationships in link worker social prescribing over an 18-month follow up period.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Barriers and enablers to pharmacist involvement in social prescribing: a protocol for a systematic review of qualitative studies.BMJ open · 2025Article
- A Thematic Synthesis of the Experiences of Social Prescribing Among Patients in the UK.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Models of social prescribing to address non-medical needs in adults: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Unravelling the potential of social prescribing in individual-level type 2 diabetes prevention: a mixed-methods realist evaluation.BMC medicine · 2023Article
- Article
- What does the literature mean by social prescribing? A critical review using discourse analysis.Sociology of health & illness · 2022Review
- Article
- Article
- Using self-determination theory to understand the social prescribing process: a qualitative study.BJGP open · 2021Article
- Social prescribing for people with complex needs: a realist evaluation.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Integrating Non-Clinical Supports into Care: A Systematic Review of Social Prescribing Referral Pathways for Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Psychosocial Improvement.International journal of integrated careArticle
- Primary care-based link workers providing social prescribing to improve health and social care outcomes for people with multimorbidity in socially deprived areas (the LinkMM trial): Pilot study for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.Journal of multimorbidity and comorbidityArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe popularity of social prescribing has grown in recent years following a series of high-profile recommendations in scientific reviews, political reports, and media coverage. Social prescribing has the potential to address multiple health and social problems, but few studies have examined how it works.
aimTo explore the ways by which social prescribing may be beneficial to individuals undertaking socially prescribed activity (SPA). DESIGN AND
settingA qualitative interview study involving people attending a range of SPA.
methodParticipants were purposively recruited from a multi-activity social prescribing provider. Data were collected using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Analysis used a thematic approach, in which emerging themes were contextualised with interview transcripts and findings from existing literature.
resultsThe study identified five themes, which together formed a journey of engagement and participation. While not always present for any one individual, the themes occurred in a consistent order: receiving professional support for social problems; engaging with others through participation in SPA; learning different ways to relate to other people and developing new skills; changing perceptions by realising personal assets and becoming open to the possibility of new futures; and developing a positive outlook on the present while moving forwards in pursuit of future goals and better health.
conclusionSPA appears to benefit individuals by a process that begins with personalised professional help to address social problems and moves through engagement with activities and others, to the recognition of personal and social assets and opportunities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.