Implementing a social prescribing program in primary care units in Portugal: A qualitative study exploring enablers, barriers and lessons learned from the perspectives of stakeholders involved in the program implementation.

Social prescribing (SP) is a promising intersectoral strategy of integrated and person-centered care that can improve individual health and well-being by going beyond medical treatment, potentially reducing overall disease burden on health system. SP addresses health and social determinants of health by linking patients to community responses, i.e. services and initiatives fostering social interaction, physical activity and creativity, among other health-promoting aspects, provided by local public, private, and non-profit entities. There is limited research on the implementation processes of SP beyond the UK, hindering improvement and scale-up. This study aims to identify enablers and barriers of implementation of an SP program conducted in Portugal. A participatory and qualitative approach was used to assess the implementation of an SP program in health units. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with family doctors, social workers and representatives of community partners who participated in SP implementation. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to conduct thematic analysis. The main enablers of SP implementation included its recognition as an evolution towards a holistic model of health, the personal characteristics of professionals as being proactive, motivated, and concerned with social determinants of health, and the communication strategy used to engage the stakeholders. Perceived challenges included raising users' awareness of SP and ensuring intervention adherence. Lack of preparedness for intersectoral working processes, including insufficient communication channels, limited community responses and the need for a more systematic collection of data on activities adherence and progress were also highlighted as barriers to SP implementation. SP implementation seems simple, but the results show that in practice, we are facing a complex intervention with multiple stakeholders, diverse community responses and factors influencing project success. A deeper understanding of SP specificities, local context, enablers, and barriers is vital to develop strategies for improvement and successful implementation, ensuring scalability and sustainability.

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.

Evaluation of the Impact and Implementation of Social Prescribing in Primary Healthcare Units in Lisbon: A Mixed-Methods Study Protocol.

BACKGROUND: Social Prescribing (SP) is an intervention to link users of the primary healthcare services to non-clinical organizations based on the community to tackle social determinants of health. Despite the potential benefits of SP, the effectiveness of this complex intervention remains uncertain. This paper presents the study protocol of the evaluation of the first SP project in Portugal. METHODS: A mixed-methods study will be conducted to evaluate the SP project. For the quantitative component, a longitudinal, prospective study with a pre-post design will be performed. Data on patients referred to SP will be collected in four different points in time throughout the intervention, using questionnaires on patients' health status and sociodemographic characteristics, and scales on patients' well-being, quality of life and activation. The secondary data will be collected using patients' medical records and SP's forms about the referral and social responses elaborated within the intervention. Semi-structured interviews with patients and focus groups with stakeholders will be conducted to assess experiences of participation and improvement suggestions on SP. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive and complementary evidence will provide insights and learning for the implementation of future SP interventions. This can contribute to inform policy and practice, and to increase investment in social prescribing interventions.

Effectiveness of anesthetic solutions for pain control in lower third molar extraction surgeries: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials with network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of different anesthetic solutions for pain control immediately after the extraction of lower third molars. METHODS: Nine databases were used to identify randomized clinical trials, without restriction of language or year of publication. The "JBI Critical Appraisal Tools for Systematic Reviews" was used to assess the risk of bias in the studies. The network meta-analysis was performed to compare the effectiveness of different anesthetics to control the pain immediately after the surgery of lower third molars, using the standardized mean difference (SMD) as the effect estimate. The GRADE approach was used to assess the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: The search presented 13,739 initial results, from which 45 met the eligibility criteria and presented low to moderate risk of bias. Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The 2% lidocaine + clonidine presented the lowest pain scores (SMD = - 1.44; - 2.72 to - 0.16) compared to 4% articaine + adrenaline, followed by 0.5% bupivacaine + adrenaline (SMD = - 1.36; - 2.13 to - 0.59). The certainty of evidence varied between very low to moderate. CONCLUSION: 2% lidocaine + clonidine and 0.5% bupivacaine + adrenaline were the anesthetics with the highest probability for pain control immediately after the surgical procedure of removing impacted lower third molars. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The use of an adequate anesthetic with effective pain control can contribute to a more comfortable postoperative period.

Surgical correction of ankylosed TMJ in a child: case report.

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis describes the bone or fibrous adhesion of the TMJ components, with functional impairment. The present report shows the surgical correction the TMJ ankylosis due to a condyle fracture in a child. A 12-year-old patient, female, attended to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the Clinical Hospital/Federal University of Uberlândia, showing severe mouth opening limitation (9 mm) and history of bilateral condyle fracture and symphysis fracture. The right TMJ ankylosis was diagnosed, removed, reshaped, and repositioned to form the reshaped condyle, by the sliding reconstruction of the condyle using posterior border of mandibular ramus and myofascial interposition of the temporal fascia. Five months of follow-up showed mouth opening of 44 mm maintained after 2 years, without complaints. The surgical treatment of the TMJ ankylosis is needed for the reestablishment of the immediate function; however, the patient must be watched until the end of development.

Comparação do índice de infecção pós-operatória em fraturas mandibulares lineares com o uso de profilaxia antibiótica / Comparison of postoperative infection rate in linear mandibular fractures using antibiotic prophylaxis

Introdução: Infecções pós-operatórias representam a maior complicação no tratamento de fraturas mandibulares. A utilização de profilaxia antibiótica diminui os índices de infecção, entretanto sua manutenção após o procedimento cirúrgico é controversa na literatura. Objetivo: Comparar o índice de infecção pós-operatória no tratamento de fraturas mandibulares lineares com ou sem profilaxia antibiótica pós-operatória. Metodologia: Foi realizada uma análise retrospectiva transversal para verificar a presença de infecção pós-operatória. Trinta prontuários de pacientes portadores de fraturas mandibulares lineares, tratados por meio de acesso intrabucal e fixação interna estável, foram selecionados e divididos em dois grupos com 15 prontuários cada: pacientes que realizaram apenas profilaxia antibiótica pré-operatória e pacientes que realizaram profilaxia antibiótica pré e pós-operatória por seis dias. Resultado: Foram observadas cinco infecções, sendo três no grupo que realizou apenas profilaxia pré-operatória e duas no grupo que fez uso de antibiótico após o procedimento. Conclusão: Em fraturas mandibulares lineares, a utilização de antibiótico pós-operatório não reduziu o índice de infecções significantemente.

Introduction: Postoperative infections are a major complication in the treatment of mandibular fractures. The use of antibiotic prophylaxis decreases infection rates; however, the maintenance after the surgical procedure is controversial in the literature. Objective: To compare the rates of postoperative infection in the treatment of linear mandibular fractures with or without postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Methodology: A retrospective transversal study was performed to analyze for the presence of postoperative infection. Thirty medical records of patients with mandibular fractures, treated by intraoral access and internal fixation were selected and divided into two groups with 15 records each: Patients who only underwent preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, and patients who underwent pre- and postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis for six days. Result: There were five postoperative infections, three in the group under preoperative prophylaxis and two in the group receiving antibiotics after the procedure. Conclusion: Postoperative antibiotics did not reduce the infection rate in linear mandibular fractures.