Social prescribing in Canada: linking the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion with health care's Quintuple Aim for a collaborative approach to health

Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2024 Sep;44(9):355-357. doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.44.9.01.
[Article in English, French]

Abstract

Social prescribing offers a practical mechanism by which public health and health care systems can work together toward a future in which well-being is prioritized, health equity is addressed and people and communities thrive. The articles in this second part of the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada special issue on social prescribing explore how social prescribing in Canada supports action on two frameworks important to public health and health care communities: the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, which emphasizes building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills and reorienting health services, and the Quintuple Aim for health care improvement, which focusses on improved population health, health equity, patient experience, care team well-being and reduced costs.

La prescription sociale offre un mécanisme concret par lequel les systèmes de santé publique et de soins de santé peuvent collaborer pour un avenir où le bien-être sera une priorité, où l’équité en matière de santé sera prise en compte et où les individus et les collectivités s’épanouiront. Les articles de cette seconde partie du numéro spécial de Promotion de la santé et prévention des maladies chroniques au Canada sur la prescription sociale explorent les moyens par lesquels la prescription sociale au Canada soutient les actions liées à deux cadres importants pour la santé publique et les soins de santé : la Charte d’Ottawa pour la promotion de la santé – qui met l’accent sur l’élaboration de politiques publiques favorisant la santé, la création d’environnements favorables, le renforcement de l’action communautaire, le développement des compétences personnelles et la réorientation des services de santé – et l’Objectif quintuple pour l’amélioration des soins de santé – qui met l’accent sur l’amélioration de la santé de la population, l’équité en matière de santé, l’expérience du patient, le bien-être de l’équipe soignante et la réduction des coûts.

Plain language summary

Social prescribing supports collaboration between public health and health care services by providing a mechanism for action on both the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and the Quintuple Aim for health care improvement. At the individual level, people develop personal skills (Ottawa Charter), and care experiences improve for participants, patients and health care workers (Quintuple Aim). At the community level, health service reorientation strengthens community action, builds supportive environments and reduces acute care costs by moving care upstream. At the population level, precision data on health and social care support prioritization and decision making for healthy public policy and health equity.

Publication types

  • Editorial

MeSH terms

  • Canada
  • Delivery of Health Care / organization & administration
  • Health Equity
  • Health Policy
  • Health Promotion* / methods
  • Health Promotion* / organization & administration
  • Humans
  • Public Health / methods