SP-EU
Social Prescribing in Europe
People facing difficult life circumstances often have fewer opportunities to maintain good health. Possible reasons include loneliness, housing shortages, financial worries, or family conflicts. In many cases, the family doctor’s office is the first point of contact for those affected.
“Social prescribing” (SP) could bridge the gap between healthcare and existing non-clinical support services in the social sector.
SP enables family doctors to refer patients with health-related social problems to a so-called “link nurse.” This nurse helps patients find access to appropriate social services.
SP is also intended to mitigate the impact of social determinants of health on the health of those affected.
However, SP is hardly established in Germany yet. In the European Union-funded project “Social Prescribing in Europe” (SP-EU), we are working with our partners in 11 countries to test the effectiveness of SP among people in precarious situations: LGBTIQ individuals, refugees and first-generation immigrants, and older adults living alone.
You can find more information on our project website:
The SP-EU project is coordinated by:
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine
Prof. Wolfram Herrmann
Chariteplatz 1
10117 Berlin
Germany
The project is funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 101155873).
Funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them.
(Grant Agreement No. 101155873)
Claudia Salm, M.D., M.Sc.
Specialist in General Medicine, Head of Research
Medical Center – University of Freiburg
Institute of General Medicine
Elsässerstr. 4d · 79110 Freiburg
Prof. Dr. Andy Maun
Director of the Institute of General Medicine
Medical Center – University of Freiburg
Institute of General Medicine
Elsässerstr. 4d · 79110 Freiburg