In the future, more and more medical practices will be “prescribed”, not only drugs, but also social offers for loneliness, psychological stress, overwork and financial emergencies. The ‘Social Prescribing’ project was launched last year and funded by the Ministry of Health in nine operations in Austria and is now expanding. This is reported by Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG), which is investigating how ‘social prescribing’ can be implemented in practice.
It is estimated that one fifth of all patients do not turn to primary care for purely medical care. “Social prescribing” serves as a promising approach to ensure people’s social health.
Cooperation network with suitable offers
Primary care institutions need employees who are sensitive to health-related, non-medical care, a cooperation network in the region and specialists with a so-called switching function, explains the GÖG. The personal costs and resources are discussed with the patient and then an appropriate offer is mediated from the regional cooperation network, such as offers for health promotion, help for the homeless, unemployment support, debt counseling, etc.
doubling of the subsidy
According to the GÖG, the “positive implementation experiences” so far have been made available by the Ministry of Health for an additional 540,000 euros for the funding call “Social Prescribing in Primary and Child Care”. This corresponds to a doubling of the previous financing amount. In the initially nine participating institutions, more than 178 people were advised in six months and about 85 percent of them were referred to regional offers. According to a survey, 98 percent of patients would recommend “social prescribing.”
“Social recipe approach works”
“The experiences of all involved so far and the positive feedback show us that the social prescription approach works,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Groenen). “The corona pandemic has not only left its mark on our society in terms of health, but also socially. Health and social issues are an inseparable whole that must always be viewed and devised together.”
Together with the GÖG, the Ministry invites primary health care institutions, pediatric care institutions and primary health care institutions for the uninsured to participate in the “Social Prescribing” funding call with a specialist with a linking function. Individual ordinations and group practices in rural areas without such specialists can also submit ideas for the implementation of “social prescribing”. Gesundheit Österreich GmbH is accompanying the campaign with, among other things, network meetings and training.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
