Addressing social determinant of health-related challenges in healthcare: Do physiotherapists have a role in social prescribing? A commentary

Background: Conversations regarding the role of physiotherapists in health justice have grown in recent years. Emerging and ongoing conversations about health justice frameworks in the context of physiotherapy have identified consideration of social and structural determinants of health as one way that physiotherapists can work towards a health justice-driven practice that improves client outcomes and population health. 

Purpose: The purpose of this commentary is to discuss how: 1) integrating consideration of social and structural determinants of health into care improves physiotherapy practice and facilitates a move towards improving health outcomes in a health justice-driven way, and; 2) integrating consideration of social determinants of health into physiotherapy practice is feasible by applying social prescribing frameworks. 

Summary: This paper reviews the importance of the social and structural determinants of health and reasons why they are important to consider to improve physiotherapy practice. It then discusses strategies for how physiotherapists could do this, including varying levels of involvement in social prescribing workflows which involve the routine assessment and incorporation of social determinants of health into treatment plans. This is illustrated through several different case study examples. Relevant to a health justice framework, the role of physiotherapists in addressing structural determinants of health is also discussed. 

Conclusions: This paper ends with a call to continue the conversation on how physiotherapists can meaningfully incorporate social and structural determinants of health into their practice while remaining within their scope of practice to improve health outcomes within a health justice framework.