Australian GP's prescribing social interaction to combat increasing experience of loneliness

Perth Now

4 days ago

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has thrown its support behind prescribed social interaction to combat increasing loneliness amongst Australians.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has thrown its support behind prescribed social interaction to combat increasing loneliness amongst Australians. Credit: cocoparisienne / Pixabay (user cocoparisienne)
Australian doctors are recommending a social interaction prescription to combat a growing experience of loneliness.
A World Health Organisation report has found that one in six people experience loneliness, and estimates that between 2014-2019 nearly over 850,000 people died from loneliness-related causes.
The report found that loneliness may increase the risk of all-cause mortality by nine to 22 per cent in older adults.
A separate report from Ending Loneliness Together found that loneliness is experienced by 43 per cent of Australians between the ages of 15 and 25, and that 15 per cent of them experience chronic loneliness persisting across two years.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Dr Michael Wright says the use of social prescription can connect patients with non-clinical community services, to fight loneliness.
'Social prescribing is increasingly being recognised as a way to build social well-being into primary care, which we saw when the RACGP joined more than 50 other key health bodies to work towards implementation of social prescribing as a parallel system of care last year,' he said.
Social prescribing involves the support of patients by GPs and health professionals in the consideration of taking up hobbies, activities, or joining a community group to combat loneliness.
Dr Wright said social disconnection can lead to heart disease, stroke, depression, and anxiety.
'One study found that lacking social connection is as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day,' he said.
'Social connection should be, and increasingly is, a public health priority.'
RACGP specific interests social prescribing chair Dr Kulit Singh said support for the approach is growing and could reinforce the role of GPs as preventative and whole-of-person care specialists.
'Social prescribing can strengthen and complement our care in a way that gives patients power and autonomy,' she said.
'(It) can be a health approach to addressing the social disconnection we've seen since the pandemic — a script against loneliness.'
'At the moment, there are barriers to more formal adoption of social prescribing. Most general practices don't have access to a link worker who can match patients to activities that meet their social needs.'
In March the RACGP called for government and health providers to support social prescribing in regional and rural Australia to combat loneliness factors such as geographic isolation, and limited access to health and social services.
A lack of transport, public or private, can mean older regional adults often lack social and health service support.
But Dr Singh said support for the approach is growing a could reinforce the role of GPs as preventative and whole-of-person care specialists, referring to a 2022 WHO toolkit to support implementation and a trial program by the Victoria Government across six regions.
'There are opportunities to build networks that support social prescribing,' she said.
'And the nature of social prescribing — making healthy connections around your interests — makes it an approach with real advantages that we all benefit from growing.'
In March Dr Singh urged for a focus on regional and rural Australian's, and a nationally coordinated approach to tackle the nation's mental health crisis and ease pressure on the healthcare system.
'We know that people living outside of metro areas experience poorer health outcomes,' she said.
'They face greater barriers accessing healthcare, including other specialist services such as psychologists and psychiatrists.'
Dr Wright said Loneliness Awareness Week, which runs from August 4 to 10, highlighted the significance and importance of social connection to a persons health.
'Loneliness Awareness Week has highlighted the harms,' he said.
'What GPs and patients need is support to implement social prescribing as a cure.'