Evidence base
medRxiv
The Role of Social Prescribing in Alleviating Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: A Systematic Review Protocol
What it found
This protocol sets out a planned systematic review examining whether social prescribing reduces social isolation and loneliness in older adults. It notes that despite widespread adoption of social prescribing, evidence of effectiveness remains unclear, and that only one peer-reviewed randomised controlled trial exists in this area.
Why it matters for practice
This is a protocol, not a completed review, so it establishes a question and a gap rather than an answer. The finding that only one RCT exists is itself the most useful data point here: it should temper confidence in any current claims about social prescribing's impact on loneliness in older adults, pending the review's results.