A narrative review of peer support barriers and facilitators in kidney care.
Andrew Trasolini, Eleri Wood, Nicola Thomas
PMID 33030813WHAT IT FOUND
UK kidney patients' peer support uptake was limited by low clinician referrals and concerns about supporter relationships or delivery format.
Promoting peer support to clinicians and offering flexible access were the main facilitators.
Key findings
01Low staff referrals were the most prominent barrier to people with CKD accessing peer support, cited in each of three staff-perspective articles, because referral was seen as time-consuming or difficult and was made only at restricted points.
02The largest patient deterrent was concern about the peer supporter relationship, found in three articles, while format and delivery barriers also limited engagement.
03Promoting peer support among clinicians was the main staff facilitator, cited in each of three staff-perspective articles, with link nurses raising awareness through meetings, emails and informal conversations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included only a small number of articles, so it cannot cover all barriers and facilitators in UK kidney care. Most included studies were qualitative and often single-unit UK studies, so themes cannot be generalised to all patients or staff. Very few articles looked at both patient and staff perspectives at the same time. Article selection and thematic analysis involved reviewer judgement, so some subjectivity is possible. The review describes barriers and facilitators, not tested effects of peer support programmes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that peer support improves kidney patient outcomes or increases uptake. It is a narrative review of barriers and facilitators from a small number of UK qualitative studies, not a trial of an intervention.