Screening for Poverty And Related Social Determinants to Improve Knowledge of and Links to Resources (SPARK)

Unity Health Toronto

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Poverty

Treatments: Behavioral: Community Health Worker

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04461080

UpstreamLab2020-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

The SPARK RCT will test the impact of engagement with a Community Health Worker who is embedded in interprofessional primary care teams on change in estimated annual income at 6 months for people living in poverty.

Full description

Population: Patients seen by interprofessional primary care teams who are living on estimated annual incomes that are below the Canadian Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO)

Intervention: A Community Health Worker who implements an intervention that addresses a number of social needs, including improving income security, access to prescription medications, access to housing, reducing social isolation, paying for utilities and access to transportation

Control: Information on community resources on social needs

Outcome: Change in estimated annual income between baseline and at 6 months

Enrollment: 110 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18+ years old AND live in a household with an income below the Low-Income Cut-OFF AND agree to receive assistance with social needs

Exclusion criteria

• Has worked with a similar CHW or intervention in the past 1 year.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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110 participants in 2 patient groups

Integrated care promoter

Experimental group

Description:

Patients who are randomized to the intervention group will be connected with a trained Community Health Worker (CHW). The CHW is a peer with lived-experience of system navigation that could have a background in social work, health promotion or community work. All CHWs will receive 2 weeks of training to assist participants with social needs.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Community Health Worker

Information on community resources

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients randomized to the control group will receive a list of tailored written information.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Community Health Worker