Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41633762›Full record

ArticleBMJ paediatrics open2026

EPIC-ND: a multi-site, randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of social prescribing for the unmet social needs of children with a neurodisability and their parent/carers - a study protocol.

Katarina Ostojic, Serena Chiu, Sandra Takchi, Heather Burnett, Timothy Scott, Mary-Clare Waugh, Alison Berg, Michael Hodgins, Anagha Killedar, Jahid Khan and 28 more

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

Article in BMJ paediatrics open, 2026. 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

38 authors.

Katarina OstojicCommunity Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia katarina.ostojic@sydney.edu.au.
Serena ChiuCommunity Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-5965-773X
Sandra TakchiCommunity Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Heather BurnettHNEkidsRehab, John Hunter Children's Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
Timothy ScottRehab2Kids, Sydney Children's Hospital, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
Mary-Clare WaughThe Children's Hospital at Westmead, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Alison BergThe Children's Hospital at Westmead, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Michael HodginsPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Anagha KilledarThe Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jahid KhanPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Georgina HenryCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Sarah ReedmanCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Laurel MimmoCommunity Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Isra KaremCommunity Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Shaini ShivaCommunity Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Sheikh AzmatullahEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jack CalderanEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Masyitah MohamedEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Anne OlasoEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Debbie van HoekEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Matthew van HoekEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Alunya WilkinsonEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Mackenzie WoodburyEPIC-ND Group, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Iva StrnadováSchool of Education, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Anne MasiDiscipline of Psychiatry Mental Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Georgina ChambersUniversity of New South Wales National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Karen ZwiPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5561-5200
Valsamma EapenDiscipline of Psychiatry Mental Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6296-8306
Elizabeth ElliottSpeciality of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Juanita SherwoodUniversity of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Russell DaleSpeciality of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Tanya MartinCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Hayley Smithers SheedyCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0082-2413
Sarah McIntyreCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Raghu LingamPopulation Child Health Research Group, Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0161-793X
Simon PagetThe Children's Hospital at Westmead, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Susan WoolfendenCommunity Paediatrics Research Group, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
EPIC-ND Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe social determinants of health contribute to health inequities experienced by children with neurodisability and pose barriers to engaging with healthcare systems. At an individual level, adverse social determinants of health are experienced as unmet social needs (USNs), for example, housing insecurity and financial hardship. Emerging evidence supports social prescribing interventions that systematically identify USNs and refer families to services to address these needs. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a co-designed social prescribing programme to address the USNs of children with neurodisability and their parents/carers, its cost-effectiveness and cost-utility, and implementation and translation across the healthcare system. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will be conducted at the tertiary Paediatric Rehabilitation Services in New South Wales, Australia. A standardised screening tool will identify parents/carers experiencing USNs. Parents/carers who report one or more USN and consent will be eligible to participate in the randomised controlled trial. Participants will be randomised to an active control group or social prescribing intervention group (total sample size=392). The active control group will receive self-navigation via a resource pack containing information about services that can address USNs. The social prescribing intervention group will receive in-person Community Linker support, in addition to the resource pack. The screening tool, resource pack, and social prescribing intervention were co-designed with parents/carers of children with cerebral palsy and their healthcare professionals. The primary outcome is the effectiveness of interventions in reducing USNs. Secondary outcomes include parent/carer referrals to and engagement with support services, out-of-pocket expenses, child/young person and parent/carer health-related quality of life, parent/carer psychological distress, and child/young person hospital service use and emergency department presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12625000324415.

Indexed as

CaregiversParentsSocial Determinants of HealthSocial PrescribingChildChild, PreschoolCost-Benefit AnalysisCost-Effectiveness AnalysisFemaleHumansMaleNew South WalesAdolescent HealthCaregiversChild HealthHealth services research

Identifiers

PMID41633762
PMCPMC12878397

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.