Project details

Social prescribing (SP) takes a community-based approach in which patients are specifically referred to local, non-medical support services. As the selection of suitable services depends largely on individual circumstances, values and preferences, autonomous decision-making processes are of central importance. Individuals living in health-related or socially disadvantaged circumstances often encounter significant challenges in exercising autonomous decision-making. Power imbalances and limited opportunities for participation can make it difficult to take one’s own needs into account.

Against this background, this doctoral project, situated at the intersection of public health ethics and health services research, examines the relevance of autonomy in the context of SP.

To this end, the dissertation draws on conceptions of autonomy from practical philosophy and applied health ethics, which provide the theoretical and normative framework for the analysis. The first objective is to identify conceptions of autonomy and the conditions of autonomous decision-making in the context of SP and to analyse their significance for recommendations, as well as for the role understandings and experiences of patients, physicians, and social workers in practice. In doing so, the study examines the extent to which established conceptions of autonomy can provide moral guidance for the design and implementation of SP.

The second objective is to develop practice-oriented recommendations for promoting autonomous decision-making through a participatory approach. Methodologically, SP guidelines will be analysed using qualitative content analysis, and interviews will be conducted with relevant stakeholders. Participatory workshops will be used to incorporate stakeholders’ perspectives and experiences and to ensure the practical relevance of the resulting recommendations.