The following is a summary of “Peer support interventions in patients with kidney failure: A systematic review,” published in the August 2023 issue of the Psychosomatic Research by Longley et al.
Peer support has been linked to enhanced health-related outcomes (e.g., psychological well-being and treatment adherence) among patients with severe, chronic conditions, such as kidney disease. Despite this, there needs to be more research evaluating the effects of peer support programs on the health outcomes of patients with renal failure receiving kidney replacement therapy. By the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, researchers conducted a systematic review using five databases to assess the effects of peer support programs on health-related outcomes (e.g., physical symptoms and depression) among patients with kidney failure undergoing kidney replacement therapy.
Peer support in kidney failure was evaluated in 12 studies (eight randomized controlled trials, one quasi-experimental controlled trial, and three single-arm trials) involving 2,893 patients. Three studies found a correlation between peer support and enhanced patient engagement with care, while one study concluded that peer support had no significant effect on employment. Three studies found associations between peer support and psychological well-being enhancements.
Four studies highlighted the effects of peer support on self-efficacy, while one highlighted the impact on treatment adherence. Peer support programs for patients with kidney failure still need to be more adequately understood and utilized despite preliminary evidence of positive associations between peer support and health-related outcomes. This vulnerable patient population requires additional rigorous prospective and randomized studies to evaluate how peer support can be optimized and incorporated into clinical care.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022399923002362