Seasonal influenza causes high rates of illness and mortality around the world. Estimates of yearly respiratory-related deaths range from around 290 000 to nearly 650 000 [1], with over 9.4 million people hospitalised with influenza-related lower respiratory infections in 2017 [2]. Influenza surveillance is defined as “the collection, compilation and analysis of information on influenza activity in […]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic placed significant stress on populations around the world, leading to severe consequences for mental health [1,2]. Some of these stressors, such as the fear of infection for self and loved ones, and uncertainty about the future, were associated directly with the virus. Others were linked to the extensive mitigation […]

International Classification of Diseases (ICD), a coding system maintained and published by the World Health Organization (WHO), is regarded as the global standard for diagnostic health information. It provides vital information on the prevalence, causes and effects of human illnesses and mortality worldwide using data reported by health officials and offers consistent language for reporting, […]

Introduction: Social prescribing seeks to connect people to community‐based resources, to improve their health and wellbeing. It is often framed as a response to health inequalities. However, the impact of place‐based differences is seldom considered. As social prescribing depends on local resources, this is a significant knowledge gap. This review aims to examine the extent to which social prescribing research to date has engaged with places and communities. Methods: This state‐of‐the‐art literature review has three components: (1) Four databases (PubMed, ASSIA, Web of Science and Scopus) were searched for social prescribing literature reviews; key characteristics were charted and a timeline created. (2) Each review was assessed for its engagement with concepts of place, and findings were synthesised narratively. (3) Exploratory searches were conducted in PubMed for primary research on place in social prescribing, and findings summarised descriptively. Results: A total of 97 eligible literature reviews were identified. A timeline of these reviews and their characteristics was created, including population, referral reasons, social prescribing model, intervention and aim. No reviews had ‘complete’ engagement with concepts of place. Thirty‐one had ‘partial’ engagement. These suggested five ways of thinking about place: place as healing, experience of societal inequalities and its effect on place, how deprivation shapes place, place as the context for social prescribing and alternative conceptions of place. We found eight primary studies addressing social prescribing and place. Six looked in detail at a particular place or characteristic of places, and two contributed theoretical understandings of the relationship between place and social prescribing. Discussion: The role of place in social prescribing remains understudied. Future research could develop theory and frameworks to account for place or identify which elements of place‐based community infrastructure are particularly relevant for social prescribing, especially as deprivation and austerity continue to diminish community resources in the areas which most need them.

Health and social care services are increasingly shaped by the emergence of new digital developments. Research suggests that older adults are less likely to use digital devices and, therefore, risk missing out on essential health and social care services as these become more digital by design. We carried out an exploratory literature review using the terms ‘onboarding’ and ‘offboarding’ within the design, engineering, health, and social science literature to understand how researchers are currently thinking about older adults’ digital service needs, informed by discussions of stakeholder engagement with older adults in Edinburgh to explore their own experiences of digital transitions. The review process was implemented based on the methodology of Arksey and O’Malley for scoping reviews, and the findings were reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The databases used were Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, IEEE Xplore, Engineering Village, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ACM. In total, 18 studies were finally included. Our findings show different interpretations of onboarding across disciplines and a lack of use of offboarding in the design of digital interventions. Additionally, our findings reveal inequalities in digital onboarding, as evidenced by the limited number of studies. Finally, we share a snapshot of our findings, together with reflections on interdisciplinary and collaborative processes.

In the context of ageing societies globally, in which people may be living longer with more complex health and support needs, older people are usually considered to be recipients rather than providers of care. In this debate article, we focus on older people as caregivers. Drawing on a range of literature, we consider four questions relating to older people as caregivers: How do caregiving relationships differ for older caregivers? How might older caregivers’ experiences help us to understand the meaning of care? How do older caregivers help us to understand the relationship between care and work? What are the implications for policies and research relating to ageing and to caring? We conclude that paying attention to older people as providers of care as well as recipients leads to a more nuanced understanding of the nature of care and of ageing, which is often overlooked in research and policy.