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.

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.