The need for more ‘social prescriptions’

Interesting article in Scientific American discussing the need for more ‘social prescriptions’ within the medical profession.

Why?

80 percent of our health outcomes are driven by social factors in our environments, while only 16 percent are related to clinical care.

Do social prescriptions actually work?

One review of 86 social prescribing programs in the U.K. found patients who received social prescriptions experienced not only a decrease in anxiety, depression and negative mood, but also an increase in self-esteem, confidence, mental well-being and positive mood. This complements decades of research demonstrating the ways certain kinds of social prescriptions are effective for treating certain kind of ailments, like exercise for depression, or forest bathing for stress and heart diseases.

Clearly, there’s no either-or to this. But it seems a no-brainer, when health services are so constrained, to promote more of these social prescriptions.