Global developments in social prescribing.

Social prescribing is an approach that aims to improve health and well-being. It connects individuals to non-clinical services and supports that address social needs, such as those related to loneliness, housing instability and mental health. At the person level, social prescribing can give individuals the knowledge, skills, motivation and confidence to manage their own health and well-being. At the society level, it can facilitate greater collaboration across health, social, and community sectors to promote integrated care and move beyond the traditional biomedical model of health. While the term social prescribing was first popularised in the UK, this practice has become more prevalent and widely publicised internationally over the last decade. This paper aims to illuminate the ways social prescribing has been conceptualised and implemented across 17 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. We draw from the 'Beyond the Building Blocks' framework to describe the essential inputs for adopting social prescribing into policy and practice, related to service delivery; social determinants and household production of health; workforce; leadership and governance; financing, community organisations and societal partnerships; health technology; and information, learning and accountability. Cross-cutting lessons can inform country and regional efforts to tailor social prescribing models to best support local needs.

Evaluating student perceptions and awareness of social prescribing.

The importance of Social Prescribing (SP) has been highlighted in the National Health Service (NHS) Long-Term Plan. SP is enabling healthcare professionals to refer patients to a link worker, to co-design a non-clinical social prescription to improve their health and well-being. Our aim was to explore perceptions, understanding, and awareness of SP amongst United Kingdom (UK) medical students.Views were collected using pre- and post-session surveys around teaching sessions in 27 UK medical schools as part of NHS England's National SP Student Champion Scheme. Pre-session surveys suggested 93% (n = 848) of respondents had not heard of the concept of SP before the session. Post-session surveys highlighted that 98% (n = 895) regarded the concept as useful and relevant to their future careers.Findings show a lack of awareness regarding Social Prescribing (SP) amongst UK medical students. New strategies are needed to ensure the doctors of tomorrow are equipped with the necessary tools to achieve the recent outcomes for graduates and implement plans for the NHS and general practice which highlight the importance of personalised care. We believe general practice can play an integral role in shaping values and beliefs amongst tomorrow's doctors through formal education and mentoring.

Difficult Conversations in Cancer Care: Lessons from a Student-Led Initiative.

With the rising global burden of cancer, healthcare professionals will inevitably be involved directly or indirectly in the care of cancer patients. Although medical education has recently evolved to emphasise the biopsychosocial model, current training regarding difficult communication skills and breaking bad news remains inadequate. Our aim was to utilise a novel method of teaching communication skills through public engagement. This was achieved by setting up a local network of cancer patients who were willing to share their stories to aid student learning. A group of medical students from years one to four interviewed a total of 48 cancer patients about their illness experiences. Student reflections were collated, producing three common themes: (1) knowing what to say, (2) seeing the person in the patient, and (3) understanding the consequences of poor communication. The experiences allowed students to develop their communication skills, learn from patient experiences, and reflect on their future practice. Patient stories, including art, drawings, and poems, were collated in the form of a book and disseminated to promote further learning. We hope our reflections and public engagement initiative will identify key areas of difficult communication, enhance learning, and prepare students for meaningful and often difficult conversation in cancer care. Similar principles could be used in other areas of medical education to allow students to develop safe and effective interpersonal skills.

The impact of health literacy on diagnosis and outcomes of symptomatic cancer by ethnicity: a systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Ethnic minorities in multi-ethnic societies like the UK and USA have poorer outcomes for some cancer types when compared with the majority. The causes of ethnic inequalities in cancer outcomes are complex and not fully understood. In particular, the potential role of health literacy on symptomatic presentation and diagnostic interval (the period between first consultation within primary care and definitive diagnosis of cancer) by ethnicity is unknown. Given the increasing need for shared decision-making and patient involvement in the diagnostic process, understanding the potential impact of the differences in health literacy may help redress ethnic inequality in cancer outcomes. The present study aims to critically examine the evidence in this area. METHODS: Seven electronic databases will be searched using keywords and controlled vocabulary related to ethnicity, health literacy, cancer diagnosis and cancer outcomes. Citations and bibliography searches of included studies will be performed to identify relevant studies that have cited eligible articles. Authors of included studies will be contacted to identify unpublished studies. Eligible studies will be restricted to primary cancers. Study quality will be evaluated in using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists. A descriptive summary of selected studies will be presented, and the synthesis will follow a narrative framework. DISCUSSION: This systematic review will summarise the evidence regarding ethnic inequality in health literacy and how this impacts on diagnosis and outcomes of cancer. The review will identify possible areas for future research, and inform clinical practice and interventions to reduce ethnic inequalities in cancer diagnosis and outcomes.

Innovating undergraduate pathology education through public engagement.

The trends in modern undergraduate medical education focus on a patient-centred approach through problem-based learning over the traditional modular curriculum. Integrating pathology into this style of learning has resulted in the dilution of core scientific principles which may have contributed to reduced understanding and interest in the subject. We aim to innovate pathology education by utilising National Pathology Week which is organised by the Royal College of Pathologists to develop the public engagement model which empowers students to learn pathology by teaching the public. Through this model, we hope to generate a greater interest in pathology at both undergraduate and postgraduate stages of education. We obtained funding from the Royal College of Pathologists to organise National Pathology Week at Exeter Medical School and the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. We involved 125 undergraduate student volunteers from health-related courses. We designed a curriculum aiming to educate both students and public on current topics such as cancer screening programmes, antibiotic resistance, diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and the role of pathologists. We hosted 15 pathologists, biomedical scientists and microbiologists to engage with students, share experiences and offer an insight into their careers. Through this project, we interacted with over 500 members of the public and 150 school students. The medical student volunteers developed a range of skills including competent use of microscopes to visualise pathology slides, effective communication with lay audiences to teach pathology and understanding of the clinical application of pathology. We believe the public engagement model of teaching undergraduate students has the potential to develop a greater interest in pathology whilst benefitting the wider community.