Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41408305›Full record

ArticleTrials2025

Strengthening Care for Rural Children (SC4RC): study protocol for a stepped-wedge translational trial of an integrated general practitioner-paediatrician model of primary care in regional Victoria and New South Wales.

Raghu Lingam, Harriet Hiscock, Sonia Khano, Jack Bernard Murphy, Karen Wheeler, Anna Tuttle, Bianca Forrester, John Preddy, Faye McMillan, Susan Bullock and 12 more

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Raghu LingamPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia. r.lingam@unsw.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0161-793X
Harriet HiscockHealth Services and Economics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
Sonia KhanoHealth Services and Economics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
Jack Bernard MurphyPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Karen WheelerPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Anna TuttleFaculty of Medicine, Health and Dental Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
Bianca ForresterDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.
John PreddyMurrumbidgee Local Health District, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia.
Faye McMillanSchool of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
Susan BullockPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Michael HodginsPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Carmen CrespoPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Nan HuPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Mike ForresterPaediatric Unit, Women's & Children's Services, Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.
David TickellPaediatric Unit, Women's & Children's Services, Grampians Health, Ballarat, VIC, 3352, Australia.
Peter HibbertAustralian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia.
Michael BrydonRural Clinical School, University of Notre Dame Australia, Lithgow, NSW, 2790, Australia.
Kim DalzielHealth Services and Economics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
Kristine PiercePopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Vilas SawrikarPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Patty ChondrosDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.
Lena SanciDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.

Funding

Australian Government MRFAR000223
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildren living in regional and rural Australia have diminished health outcomes and are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains compared to urban peers. Despite this, children in regional and rural Australia often cannot access specialist care due to lack of availability, financial constraints, or waiting times of over 12 months. Strengthening Care for Rural Children (SC4RC) aims to evaluate an integrated general practitioner (GP)-paediatrician model of care in rural communities to enhance the quality of paediatric care by ensuring children receive timely, accessible care within their communities by reducing referrals to public and private paediatric services.

methodsSC4RC is a stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial of 22 general practice clinics in regional and rural Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. Control data for each general practice clinic will be collected for a minimum of 1 month and each clinic will be randomly allocated a start month, with the intervention running for 11 months at each clinic. The intervention will consist of fortnightly GP-paediatrician co-consultation sessions, weekday phone and email paediatrician support for GPs, and access to a paediatric online community of practice via a Project ECHO™ series. The primary outcome is the proportion of paediatric (0 to <18 years) GP appointments that result in a referral to a paediatric service (hospital emergency departments, outpatient clinics, or private paediatricians) during the intervention period compared with the control period. Secondary outcomes include GP quality of care across 17 common childhood conditions, GP confidence in paediatric care, family confidence in GP care, and the sustainability of the SC4RC model. Integral to the project is our consumer engagement framework which will inform the translation and implementation of the project. An implementation evaluation will assess the acceptability, adaptability, and scalability of the model, whilst a health economic evaluation will measure the cost-effectiveness/benefit of the intervention. DISCUSSION: This protocol paper outlines how we will partner with primary care organisations and paediatric services to implement and evaluate SC4RC in some regional and rural communities in Victoria and NSW.

trial registrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12623000550606. Registered on 23 May 2023.

Indexed as

Child Health ServicesDelivery of Health Care, IntegratedGeneral PractitionersPediatriciansPrimary Health CareRural Health ServicesChildChild, PreschoolHealth Services AccessibilityHumansInfantMulticenter Studies as TopicNew South WalesRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicReferral and ConsultationTranslational Research, BiomedicalEngagementIntegrated carePaediatricsPrimary careRandomised controlled trialRegional and rural healthcare

Identifiers

PMID41408305
PMCPMC12821800

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.