Social Prescribing: Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Psychosocial Community Referral Interventions in Primary Care

INTRODUCTION: Social prescribing (SP) aims to provide targeted psychosocial support and close the gap between medical and non-medical services. This review assesses the effectiveness of community-based SP interventions. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and qualitative synthesis of interventional studies of community referral interventions focused on facilitating psychosocial support. We considered health-related endpoints, other patient reported outcomes, or health care utilization. Six databases, grey literature, and additional trials registers were searched. Results were screened in a two-step process, followed by data extraction, each by two independent reviewers. If data permitted such, effect sizes were calculated. Risk of bias was assessed with the EPHPP and the Cochrane RoB2 tools. RESULTS: We identified 68 reports from 53 different projects, three were controlled studies. Uncontrolled studies with shorter time frames frequently reported positive effects. This could largely not be seen in controlled settings and for longer follow-up periods. Designs, populations, and outcomes evaluated were heterogeneous with high risk of bias for most studies. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests positive effects of SP on a variety of relevant endpoints. Due to quality deficits in the available studies, scope for conclusions concerning clinical relevance and sustainability is limited. Further methodologically rigorous controlled trials are needed.