An overview of using an asset-based approach to nursing

This article provides general practice nurses (GPNs) with a brief history of asset-based community development (ABCD). It considers how the principles of asset-based approaches are currently used and may be further developed to tackle modern challenges in health and social care. It considers one particular approach, ‘social prescribing’ — this is perhaps best known to GPNs. Social prescribing has emerged as an early asset-based solution to improve wellbeing. The article also explores some of the advantages and limitations of social prescribing and gives glimpses as to how asset-based nursing may evolve.