Peer support in type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial in primary care with parallel economic and qualitative analyses: pilot study and protocol

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a chronic illness, which requires the individual to assume responsibility for their own care with the aim of maintaining glucose and blood pressure levels as close to normal as possible. Traditionally self-management training for diabetes has been delivered in a didactic manner. In recent times alternatives to the traditional delivery of diabetes care have been investigated, for example, the concept of peer support which emphasises patient rather than professional domination. This paper describes the pilot study and protocol for a study that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a peer support intervention for people with type 2 diabetes in a primary care setting.

Peer support in patients with tipe 2 diabetes

“…In other countries, the non-professional advisers who offer support receive systematic preliminary training and full support from experts, who can be reached over the telephone at any moment. Peer support interventions have also been documented (7). Social support (which peer support is a part of) has an important role in enabling patients to self-manage their condition.…”

“…Receiving support can be very helpful while adopting the necessary lifestyle changes; moreover, it encourages patients to introduce positive changes into their lives (6). Peer support has been formally defined as »the provision of emotional, appraisal and informational assistance by a created social network member who possesses experiential knowledge of a specific behaviour or stressor and similar characteristics as the target population, to address a health-related issue of a potentially or actually stressed focal person« (7). A peer may have greater understanding about an individual's situation than their family members or other social network members.…”

Patient generated “frequently asked questions”: Identifying informational needs in a RCT of peer support in type 2 diabetes

“…In a cluster randomised controlled trial twenty general practices were assigned to control and intervention groups, respectively [12]. Each practice compiled a diabetes register and randomly selected 21 patients to participate in the trial.…”

Experiencing and managing Type 1 diabetes mellitus for adolescents in Indonesia: An integrated phenomenology and indigenous psychological analysis

“…Support from peers is a process of social relationship with peers who can support health and welfare (Paul, et al, 2007) including the availability of emotion, hope, and help information provided by peers (Dennis as cited in Paul, et al, 2007). Peers can understand well the situation of individuals compared to other members of his own family or social networks, which might have made the individual feel uncomfortable in the issue or may interfere in providing support (Helgeson as cited in Paul, et al, 2007).…”

“…Adolescents with type 1 diabetes prefer to interact with peers who understand the causes of illness and know their diets (Lehmkuhl et al, 2009). Persons with diabetes who get support from their peers, have increased results of biophysical and psychosocial (Paul et al, 2007), including representation of pain (Keogh et al, 2007).…”