EPIC-CP pilot trial study protocol: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial investigating the feasibility and acceptability of social prescribing for Australian children with cerebral palsy
Laurel Mimmo,
,
Karen Zwi,
Susan Woolfenden,
Georgina Chambers,
Simon Paget,
Raghu Lingam,
Sarah Mcintyre,
Sue Woolfenden,
Valsamma Eapen,
Hayley Smithers-Sheedy,
Tanya Martin,
Timothy Scott,
Anne Masi,
Iva Strnadová,
Katarina Ostojic,
Betty-Jean Dee-Price,
Heather Burnett,
Alison Berg,
Michele Scarcella,
Jack Calderan,
Sheikh Azmatullah,
Masyitah Mohamed,
Mackenzie Woodbury,
Alunya Wilkinson,
Russell Dale,
Isra Karem,
Anne Olaso,
Matthew van Hoek,
Debbie van Hoek,
Mariyam Cadiri,
Delfina Diaz Rojas,
Georgina Henry,
Mick Scarcella,
Shaini Shiva,
Vesna Stojanovic,
Debbie van Hoek,
Matthew van Hoek,
Joyce Vasquez,
Janet Zacharko,
Seaneen Wallace
Affiliations
Laurel Mimmo
10 The Sydney Children`s Hospitals Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Karen Zwi
14 Community Child Health, The Sydney Children`s Hospitals Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Susan Woolfenden
1 Community Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Georgina Chambers
13 National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, University of New South Wales Centre for Big Data Research in Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Simon Paget
3 The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Raghu Lingam
2 Population Child Health Clinical Research Group, University of New South Wales Medicine & Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sarah Mcintyre
9 Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sue Woolfenden
Valsamma Eapen
11 Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales School of Clinical Medicine, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Hayley Smithers-Sheedy
2 Population Child Health Clinical Research Group, University of New South Wales Medicine & Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Tanya Martin
7 Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
Timothy Scott
6 Sydney Children`s Hospital Randwick, Sydney Children`s Hospitals Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Anne Masi
11 Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales School of Clinical Medicine, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Iva Strnadová
15 School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Katarina Ostojic
1 Community Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Betty-Jean Dee-Price
8 Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Heather Burnett
5 HNEkidsRehab, John Hunter Children`s Hospital, Hunter New England Local Health District, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Alison Berg
4 The Children`s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children`s Hospitals Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Michele Scarcella
10 The Sydney Children`s Hospitals Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Jack Calderan
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sheikh Azmatullah
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Masyitah Mohamed
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Mackenzie Woodbury
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Alunya Wilkinson
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Russell Dale
3 The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Isra Karem
1 Community Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Anne Olaso
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Matthew van Hoek
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Debbie van Hoek
12 EPIC-CP Research Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Introduction The social determinants of health contribute to poorer health outcomes for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and are barriers to families accessing health services. At an individual level, social determinants of health are experienced as unmet social needs, for example, unsafe housing conditions. There is emerging evidence that clinical pathways for the systematic identification and referral to services for unmet social needs can support families to address these needs. These clinical pathways have not been implemented for children with CP. The objectives are to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of two co-designed social needs clinical pathways for parents/caregivers of children with CP—social prescribing (ie, Community Linker plus resource pack) compared with resource pack only.Methods and analysis This pilot randomised controlled trial will run at the three tertiary paediatric rehabilitation services in New South Wales, Australia. A total of 120 participants will be recruited, with randomisation stratified by study site. A survey tool will be used to identify families experiencing unmet social needs. Parents/caregivers who report one or more unmet social need/s and consent will be eligible. The active control group will receive a resource pack containing information on community services to support unmet social needs. The social prescribing intervention group will receive one-on-one Community Linker support, in addition to the resource pack. The survey tool, intervention, logic model, and resource pack were co-designed with patient families and their healthcare workers. Feasibility of the research design and the clinical pathways will be evaluated using the number/proportion of parents/caregivers who complete the survey tool, consent, engage with the intervention, and complete research measures. Acceptability will be evaluated using questionnaires and qualitative interviews.Ethics and dissemination Human research ethics approval was granted by the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Human Research Ethics Committee (2022/ETH01688). Participants and stakeholders will receive updates and findings via regular communication channels including meetings, presentations, and publications.Trial registration number Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: 12622001459718.
