Co-Designing a Digital Social Prescribing Platform to Reduce Out of Pocket Health Expenditure for Aboriginal Communities Living in Rural Australia
1
Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
2
E.M.U Consultancy, Ceduna, Australia
3
Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Brisbane, Australia
4
The George Institute for Global Health, Newtown, Australia
5
School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
6
Wardliparingga, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
7
School of Medicine, Collage of Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia
8
Rural and Remote Health, Collage of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Darwin, Australia
9
Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Australia
10
College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
11
Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
12
College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
13
School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
People living with chronic and complex diseases (CCDs) or injuries face substantial out-of-pocket health expenditure (OOPHE). Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities experience significantly higher rates of CCDs and greater exposure to the social and structural determinants of ill health that intensify OOPHE inequities. Addressing these financial pressures is essential for improving access to healthcare. This project partners with Aboriginal communities in rural South Australia to co-design a Web App to help reduce OOPHE burden.
METHODS:
This project applies a participatory action research methodology with Aboriginal communities to develop an online social prescribing platform (the Web App). It applies a Knowledge Interface process to ensure Aboriginal authority and alignment with community expectations. The research draws on Indigenous methods, qualitative interviews, and quantitative surveys, conducted to explore the relationship between OOPHE risks and protective factors. A community-centred developmental evaluation framework guides each stage of the design process, allowing the Web App to respond to feedback throughout the trial.
RESULTS:
Early findings highlight that OOPHE emerges from linked cultural, social, financial, and systemic drivers. Community-led co-design has identified practical ways the Web App can reduce OOPHE, including improved navigation of financial supports, strengthened referral pathways to culturally safe services, and increased access to community resources. The evaluation approach will inform a framework for national scale-up.
CONCLUSIONS:
A culturally grounded social prescribing Web App offers a promising strategy for reducing OOPHE among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with, or at risk of, CCDs. By placing Aboriginal leadership and lived experience at the centre of the design, this project has the potential to reduce financial barriers to care, enhance health and wellbeing, and contribute to national efforts to address entrenched health and well-being inequity.
People living with chronic and complex diseases (CCDs) or injuries face substantial out-of-pocket health expenditure (OOPHE). Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities experience significantly higher rates of CCDs and greater exposure to the social and structural determinants of ill health that intensify OOPHE inequities. Addressing these financial pressures is essential for improving access to healthcare. This project partners with Aboriginal communities in rural South Australia to co-design a Web App to help reduce OOPHE burden.
METHODS:
This project applies a participatory action research methodology with Aboriginal communities to develop an online social prescribing platform (the Web App). It applies a Knowledge Interface process to ensure Aboriginal authority and alignment with community expectations. The research draws on Indigenous methods, qualitative interviews, and quantitative surveys, conducted to explore the relationship between OOPHE risks and protective factors. A community-centred developmental evaluation framework guides each stage of the design process, allowing the Web App to respond to feedback throughout the trial.
RESULTS:
Early findings highlight that OOPHE emerges from linked cultural, social, financial, and systemic drivers. Community-led co-design has identified practical ways the Web App can reduce OOPHE, including improved navigation of financial supports, strengthened referral pathways to culturally safe services, and increased access to community resources. The evaluation approach will inform a framework for national scale-up.
CONCLUSIONS:
A culturally grounded social prescribing Web App offers a promising strategy for reducing OOPHE among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with, or at risk of, CCDs. By placing Aboriginal leadership and lived experience at the centre of the design, this project has the potential to reduce financial barriers to care, enhance health and wellbeing, and contribute to national efforts to address entrenched health and well-being inequity.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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