Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of peer support among disadvantaged groups: A rapid scoping review.
Kalina Mikolajczak-Degrauwe, Sybren R Slimmen, Dylan Gillissen and 5 others
PMID 38020843WHAT IT FOUND
Peer support for vulnerable groups was reported to improve quality of life, mainly emotional and social outcomes, but poor matching, limited training, weak trust and uncertain sustainability were major problems.
Key findings
01The review reported better quality of life, mainly psychosocial and emotional outcomes, in all target groups apart from homeless people.
02Poor matching was a major weakness: mismatch or unclear personal interests increased drop-out and reduced effectiveness.
03Peer support can extend, enhance and complement professional services, but it should not replace formal health, social care or welfare support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
It was a rapid review, not a full systematic review, and the included studies were not critically appraised. One author screened studies per target group, which may have introduced bias. The search stopped in March 2020, so newer evidence may be missing. The included studies varied widely in design, population, peer type, intervention and outcome, so findings are not easily transferable to one service. Evidence was limited for homeless people. Long-term effects, sustainability and what makes an ideal peer were unclear.
Declared interests
The work was part of the ENSURE Interreg 2 Seas project and was funded by Interreg 2 Seas Mers Zeeën. The funder had no role in the study design and analysis. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that peer support is proven to improve clinical outcomes or can replace professional care. This is a rapid scoping review without quality appraisal, and the authors state peer support should not replace formal health, social care or welfare support.