Effectiveness Evaluation of Social Prescribing

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Social Prescribing: The SP intervention consists of a series of intervention components delivered across the SP pathways: Intervention components GP: 1. Social prescribing from physician to patient Link Worker: 2. Initial phone contact 3. Clarification and follow-up consultations 4. Personalized matching with local services and activities 5. Care coordination 6. Introductory visits to local services and activities 7. Accompanied (if needed) 8. Follow-up conversations 9. Concluding conversations 10. Group-based courses GP / Link Worker: 11. Re-prescribing (where appropriate) Each intervention component is described in detail in the TIDieR checklist

Study summary

Social Prescribing (SP), or Social Henvisning (SH) in Denmark, integrates healthcare with social and cultural services to address social determinants of health. The 'Social Prescribing Vesterbro-Sydhavnen' initiative, launched in fall 2024 as part of usual care, aims to involve general practitioners (GP) as primary prescribers to social services through a dedicated link worker, enhancing early intervention and connecting healthcare with community support.

This evaluation aims to assess the effectiveness of the 'Social Prescribing Vesterbro-Sydhavnen' project as part of the Implementation Research Programme SHINE.

The primary outcomes are: changes in contacts with general practice, unplanned hospital contacts and emergency calls (1813) as well as change in patients' perception of loneliness and health-related Quality of life.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Rate ratios for change in contacts with GP — From the date the Link Worker received the social prescription to 3 and 9 months thereafter.
  Primary Outcome: • Change in contacts with general practice (all type of contacts)
• Rate ratios for change in unplanned hospital contacts — From the date the Link Worker received the social prescription to 3 and 9 months thereafter.
  Primary Outcome: • Change in unplanned hospital contacts
• Rate ratios for change in emergency calls (1813) — From the date the Link Worker received the social prescription to 3 and 9 months thereafter.
  Primary Outcome: • Change in emergency calls (1813)
• Change in the perceived degree of loneliness assessed by T-ILS — From the enrollment date to 3 and 9 months after the Link Worker has received the social prescription.
  Primary Outcome: • Change in perception of loneliness - assessed by Three-Item Loneliness Scale (T-ILS). The scale uses three response categories: Hardly ever = score 1, Some of the time = score 2, Often = score 3. Higher scores means worse outcome.
• Change in the perceived degree of loneliness - assessed by De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale — From the enrollment date to 3 and 9 months after the Link Worker has received the social prescription.
  Primary Outcome: • Change in perception of loneliness - assessed by De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale On the positively worded items, the neutral and negative answers are scored as "1" (Yes=0, More or less=1, and No=1). A higher score means a worse outcome.
• Change in quality of life - assessed by EQ-5D-5L — From the enrollment date to 3 and 9 months after the Link Worker has received the social prescription.
  Primary Outcome: • Change in perception of Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) - assessed by EQ-5D-5L. The EQ-5D-5L instrument covers five dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression) with five response levels: 1 = no problems, 2 = slight problems, 3 = moderate problems, 4 = severe problems, 5 = extreme problems; higher scores indicate worse outcomes. Dimension-level responses are aggregated into a single utility index using the Danish value set (range \< 0 \[health states worse than death\] to 1 \[full health\]); lower index scores reflect poorer health.
• Change in quality of life - assessed by EQ-VAS (visual analog scale) — From the enrollment date to 3 and 9 months after the Link Worker has received the social prescription.
  Primary Outcome: • Change in perception of Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) - assessed by EQ-VAS (visual analog scale). Tthe minimum value = 0 and maximum value = 100. A higher scores mean a better outcome.

Trial sites (1)

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