Evaluating Social Prescribing for Adults to Improve Loneliness and Quality of Life in Vesterbro-Sydhavnen

What this Trial Is About

Social Prescribing SP, known as Social Henvisning SH in Denmark, connects healthcare with social and cultural services to address factors influencing health beyond medical care. The Social Prescribing Vesterbro-Sydhavnen initiative, starting in fall 2024, involves general practitioners GPs referring patients to social services through a dedicated link worker. This evaluation assesses how this project affects healthcare use, loneliness, and quality of life as part of the SHINE Implementation Research Programme. The SP intervention includes various steps such as GP referrals, link worker contacts, personalized service matching, care coordination, visits to local services, accompanied support if needed, and group courses. The intervention is delivered through these pathways, with follow-up and re-prescribing as appropriate. Participants are adults referred by their GPs to receive this support starting in summer 2025. Participants engage by meeting the link worker who explains the evaluation and collects informed consent. Patient reported outcomes on loneliness and health-related quality of life are collected at baseline, 3 months, and 9 months via questionnaires, with reminders sent by SMS or email. Healthcare use data are analyzed from registries. The study measures changes in GP contacts, hospital visits, emergency calls, loneliness scores, and quality of life, with safety and data privacy ensured throughout. The total participation spans at least 9 months post referral.

Effectiveness Evaluation of Social Prescribing