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Where Does Value Lie in Peer Support?
Qual Health Res. 2020 Oct 19:1049732320964173. doi: 10.1177/1049732320964173. [Pubmed Abstract]
Walker C, Peterson CL
Abstract
A literature review was undertaken in 2019 to review research into the effectiveness of peer support in chronic disease self-management. As with an earlier literature review, we found the results disappointing due to poor reporting and poor research design. Lack of information on training of peer supporters, unrealistically short timeframes to produce changes in health behaviors, and lack of any theoretical underpinning of the research design contributed to rating randomized controlled trials as poor to medium quality evidence. At the same time, systematic reviews consider peer support as effective, arguing that improved research design and evaluation would demonstrate this. This article discusses the need to examine more closely the contribution of peer support to chronic disease care as well as considering how research methods might more closely…
CHWs and Covid-19 — Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Times of Crisis and Beyond
N Engl J Med. 2020 Sep 23. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2022641. [Full Commentary]
Peretz PJ, Islam N, Matiz LA
New York City was the one of the first COVID-19 hot spots in the United States and necessitated a public health response that included community health workers. This piece in the New English Journal of Medicine shares experiences from New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, which are among the healthcare organizations that utilized CHWs into their COVID-19 response. In collaboration with community-based organizations, CHW teams proactively contacted socially isolated patients, connecting them with sources of critically important care and support. This experience has shown that, during times of crisis, CHWs may be the lone connection between some patients and an ever-changing — and increasingly digital — health care system.
The Fundamental Value of Presence in Peer and Mutual Support: Observations from Telephone Support for High Risk Groups
Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice. 2020;11(3),1-20. [Full Article]
Fisher EB, Tang PT, Evans M, Bhushan N, Graham MA, Dreyer Valovcin D, Castellano C
Abstract
“Being there” takes on considerable importance amidst recognition of the substantial deleterious effects of social isolation and loneliness. In particular, presence/ “being there” may be important features of the many contributions of peer and mutual support to health and wellbeing. This study examined how peer support may enhance a sense of presence based on a) contact data for years 2015-2016 from telephonic peer support services of Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and b) structured interviews with peer supporters and clients of these programs. Features of peer support that convey presence include a) 24/7 availability, b) structure of peer support around shared cultural roles – e.g., “Cop2Cop,” “Mom2Mom,” rather than shared diagnoses, c) training of supporters to provide a…
