Choosing Digital Resources for Nature Rx and Social Prescribing

Identify the gap in the existing program

Self-guided nature connection is not new. RSPB Nature Prescriptions already includes prompts people can use where they live, without an expectation to travel or attend an organized group. Start by asking what the current booklet, conversation or session already does well.

Then name the addition you need. It might be an approved audio version of a practice, a clearer way to find local material or a series people can return to between sessions. Digital delivery is a format choice, not evidence that participation or health outcomes will improve.

RSPB: how Nature Prescriptions works →

Keep the professional relationship clear

The organization responsible for support should decide who an independent resource may suit and how it is introduced. The resource should explain its purpose, what it does not provide and how someone returns to their existing source of support. Do not imply that opening an app transfers responsibility for care.

Consider situations where self-guidance is not the answer. A person may need company, transport, help using a device or support that content alone cannot provide. Keep those needs visible in program design rather than labeling them a failure to engage.

Preserve the approach and the authorship

Agree which practices can be adapted, who owns them and who approves changes. Reading a paragraph aloud is not always the same experience as using it in a conversation. Review pace, language, instructions and alternatives with the people responsible for the original approach.

Keep a record of the approved version. Establish a way to correct, withdraw or replace content. A program should not depend on a supplier silently changing guidance after the team has approved it.

Make access a design decision

Plan for different ways of participating. Audio needs a text alternative. A walking activity may need a seated option. A person may prefer a familiar garden, a view from home or time with someone they trust. Describe the actual activity and setting instead of assuming one format suits everyone.

Check device access, connectivity, language and confidence with technology before making the digital version the default. Keep a useful non-digital route into the program. Test the starting link with a person who has not helped design it.

Agree the minimum information needed

List each proposed data field and why the program needs it. Do not collect a diagnosis just to select an outdoor activity. The absence of diagnoses does not make referral or participation information non-sensitive.

Before launch, agree access, retention, participant information and how requests or concerns are handled with the organization responsible for data protection. A promise of aggregate reporting is not enough on its own, especially with small groups. These decisions need review in the context of the actual program.

Evaluate usefulness without overstating the evidence

Distinguish opening a resource, starting an experience, self-reported completion and repeat use. These are different measures. None alone establishes that someone went outside, followed a prescription or experienced a health improvement.

Combine appropriate use information with questions about clarity, usefulness and barriers. Include the professional team: was the resource easy to introduce, did it fit their approach and did it create extra work? Agree the content, delivery, responsibilities and support in writing before commissioning it.