What is social prescribing – Could traditional Chinese medicine play a role?

Abstract This article introduces the innovative concept of social prescribing and its role in providing individuals with a personalized approach to health improvement and potential reduction of healthcare costs. Social prescribing is a holistic approach that considers social, economic, and environmental factors in order to address people’s needs through in-depth one to one discussions. The concept of social prescribing emerged from the UK primary care sector over 20 years ago, with the objective of facilitating individual referrals to appropriate non-clinical services, usually provided by the voluntary and charitable sectors. Referrals are facilitated by a link worker, who is paid through the general practice and connects with the patient to identify an appropriate local setting and activity. The concept of social prescribing was introduced in China in 2018; however, it is relatively unknown as a model and its practical application remains limited. This paper outlines traditional Chinese medicine approaches suitable for the social prescribing model, which may provide a valuable reference point for its implementation in China.