Social prescribing boosts health checks without raising costs
Patients referred to social prescribing are more likely to seek health care in the short term but could end up needing their primary care physician less often within a year, according to a new study by University of Manchester researchers published in eClinicalMedicine.
A new study from the University of Manchester reveals that social prescribing, which connects patients with community resources like exercise programs and financial advice, leads to more healthcare visits initially but may reduce reliance on primary care physicians over time. Researchers analyzed records of over 1.4 million individuals and found that social prescribing referrals resulted in about a 24% increase in health care contacts within six months, primarily due to additional primary care appointments and planned hospital outpatient visits.
However, this trend diminished after one year, with patients referred to social prescribing showing slightly fewer primary care visits compared to those who were not referred. Despite the higher number of healthcare interactions, the overall cost to the National Health Service (NHS) remained virtually unchanged, with health care costs being less than 0.1% higher for referred patients.
Lead author Dr. Anna Wilding explained that the findings suggest social prescribing encourages short-term engagement with healthcare services, particularly for preventive care. The study, published in eClinicalMedicine, underscores the potential of social prescribing to reduce pressure on primary care while emphasizing the need for improved integration with electronic health records to fully assess the long-term benefits of the program.
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