Threat or Opportunity? Social Prescribing and Implications for Occupational Therapy

Social prescribing (SP)-the use of nonmedical community activities and supports to enhance health and address social drivers of health, provided in tandem with medical interventions-is embedded in many health care systems around the globe, but its use in the United States is still emerging. Similarities between SP and occupational therapy abound. In this column, the authors take an occupational justice perspective and use the Capabilities, Opportunities, Resources and Environments framework to analyze the relationship between occupational therapy and SP. They argue that the occupational therapy profession needs to be aware of SP, understand its potential for professional role overlap or blurring, and foster the profession's inclusion in this practice in the United States. They also discuss opportunities for occupational therapy to capitalize on this growing movement to enable a positive outcome.