Journal Article (Australian)
Published: July 2024
Brief Summary:
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
Ostojic K, Karem I, Paget S, et al. EPIC-CP pilot trial study protocol: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial investigating the feasibility and acceptability of social prescribing for Australian children with cerebral palsyBMJ Open 2024;14:e076304. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076304
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.