The Effect of Peer Support with Telecommunication on Subjective Well-being in Colorectal Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.
Mahla Rahimi, Mehrsadat Mahdizadeh, Hamid Chamanzari and 1 others
PMID 33875965WHAT IT FOUND
Trained peer support by telephone and virtual social networks raised subjective well-being in colorectal cancer patients after one month, compared with routine care.
Scores rose from 27.8 to 49.16 on a 14-70 scale, while routine-care patients stayed near baseline.
Key findings
01After one month, mean subjective well-being was 49.16±3.3 in the peer support group and 26.6±6.1 in the control group (P<0.001).
02The peer support group's mean subjective well-being score changed from 27.8±5.4 to 49.16±3.3, while the control group's score changed from 27.6±6.3 to 26.6±6.1.
03After the intervention, the peer support group scored higher than controls on energetic, positive relationships with others, and optimism subscales (P<0.001).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Follow-up lasted only one month, so the study does not show whether the well-being benefit persisted. The intervention was delivered by peer volunteers and was not tested as a nurse-delivered program. Patients knew which group they were in, and the outcome was self-reported subjective well-being. Only 60 patients from hospitals in Mashhad, Iran were studied, so generalizability is limited. The study did not report adverse effects, patient satisfaction, or clinical outcomes such as survival, treatment adherence, or distress diagnoses. Hospitals were assigned to groups before patients were enrolled, which may introduce hospital-level differences not fully controlled.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurses can use this as a proven long-term treatment for colorectal cancer well-being. The study tested peer volunteers delivering support for only one month in 60 patients, and it did not assess whether the benefit lasted or whether nurse-delivered support would work.