The PaRx program is Canada’s national nature prescription program. Developed by the BC Parks Foundation, PaRx creates a framework to guide health-care practitioners in prescribing nature to improve patient health and wellbeing. The PaRx program features practical, clinician-focused resources like quick tips and patient handouts, in order to make prescribing time in nature easy and effective. PaRx prescriptions for nature recommend spending at least 2 hours a week in nature, at least 20 minutes at a time, in order to achieve the health and wellbeing benefits of connecting with nature.
The PaRx program design is based on studies suggesting that written prescriptions are better received than oral advice in motivating patients to make a change. Moreover, surveys indicate that health-care providers are consistently ranked among the most trusted professionals, increasing the likelihood that patients will adhere to recommendations to connect with nature for their health and well-being.
- Formal connections with and strong support from the health care community to issue prescriptions and track outcomes for the program.
- Extensive research that supports the connections between time spent in nature and improved health outcomes.
- Important that the program be health-care-provider driven to ensure its relevance to prescribers and best support patients whose health can most benefit from time spent in nature.
- The collection of data over time in the implementation of the program is key to determine if it is meeting objectives.