The development of a social prescribing glossary of terms to facilitate engagement & communication

BACKGROUND: Social prescribing (SP) offers an alternative and adjunctive form of holistic support for many issues, through engagement in community-based activities. SP has undergone a period of growth and development, accompanied by a diverse and confusing terminology that creates barriers to engagement and communication. METHODS: We used a mixed methods approach to collate the terminology associated with SP: Consultation with the SP workforce, a group concept mapping study (GCM), and a scoping review of UK peer-reviewed literature and Welsh grey literature. RESULTS: We identified a total of 426 terms, many of which described the same specific elements of SP. Scoping review data was charted from 205 documents: 60% of terms occurred solely in peer-reviewed literature, 20% occurred solely in Welsh grey literature, with an overlap of 10% across both sources. Grey literature contained a higher number of terms per article. Data from the scoping review and GCM study indicated a bias for articles and terminology from England and the healthcare sector that does not necessarily reflect the terminology commonly used by the SP workforce. Preferences for some terms were sector-specific, although many of the terms identified were seemingly used interchangeably with little standardisation across and within specific services. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights the breadth and diversity of the terminology associated with SP. Results were used to produce an innovative and interactive glossary of terms, in the form of a PDF and a website. Unlike traditional glossaries, it incorporates a description of the terms, shows the connectedness of terms, and identifies alternative terms and preferences for certain terms across sectors. The glossary of terms for SP provides an informative reference tool for the general public, SP workforce and commissioners. It will improve understanding across sectors and professions, and facilitate the standardisation of the language associated with SP. KEY MESSAGES: • The language associated with social prescribing is diverse and confusing, creating barriers to engagement and impairing communication with the public, and across sectors and professions. • The glossary of terms for social prescribing, that resulted from this research, provides an informative reference tool for the general public, social prescribing workforce and commissioners.