Social prescribing for children and young people with neurodisability and their families initiated in a hospital setting: a systematic review

Abstract

ObjectivesSocial prescribing (SP) is a non-medical intervention in which professionals refer patients to a link worker (LW), who connects them with appropriate support. Children and young people (CYP) with neurodisability often have unmet needs and may bypass community initiatives. We undertook a review of hospital-initiated SP for CYP with neurodisability.DesignSystematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidance and using Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.Data sourcesMedline, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and FutureNHS, searched from 1 January 2000 to 19 October 2023, with no language restrictions.Eligibility criteriaStudies describing SP interventions for CYP (ages 0–25 years) with neurodisability/neurodivergence. Exclusions: interventions outside of secondary care; with no description; or no LW.Data extraction and synthesisTwo researchers independently screened references. Data were charted, summarised, quality assessments performed and narratively reviewed.ResultsAfter removal of duplicates, 518 references were identified. Following screening, eight articles (covering five SP schemes) were included. Rahiet alconnected 68 families of CYP newly diagnosed with visual impairment to a community LW. Families needed information about social and educational services, and emotional support. Healthcare professionals had more time for clinical issues. Six papers described three different digital interventions supporting in total 86 CYP with traumatic brain injury and their families. Wadeet al(2004, 2005a, 2005b) provided a website with core and individualised sessions, and weekly therapist support. Wadeet al(2018) provided a smartphone application, website and weekly meetings with an online coach. These interventions boosted social behaviours. Wadeet al(2014, 2015) found that online family problem-solving therapy improved overall child functioning compared with self-guided resources. Toutainet al(2009) provided non-medical support to 11 children with fetal alcohol syndrome and their mothers. No outcome data were provided. Studies reported benefits to health, well-being, healthcare usage, knowledge, skills, satisfaction and service delivery.ConclusionLiterature describing hospital-initiated SP schemes for CYP with neurodisability, while sparse, suggests potential benefit.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022384188.