Panaite A, Desroches O, Warren É, Rouly G, Castonguay G, Boivin A. Engaging with peers to integrate community care: Knowledge synthesis and conceptual map.
Health Expect 2024;
27:e14034. [PMID:
38567865 PMCID:
PMC10989131 DOI:
10.1111/hex.14034]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT
Engaging with peers is gaining increasing interest from healthcare systems in numerous countries. Peers are people who offer support by drawing on lived experiences of significant challenges or 'insider' knowledge of communities. Growing evidence suggests that peers can serve as a bridge between underserved communities and care providers across sectors, through their ability to build trust and relationships. Peer support is thus seen as an innovative way to address core issues of formal healthcare, particularly fragmentation of care and health inequalities. The wide body of approaches, goals and models of peer support speaks volumes of such interest. Navigating the various labels used to name peers, however, can be daunting. Similar terms often hide critical differences.
OBJECTIVES/BACKGROUND
This article seeks to disentangle the conceptual multiplicity of peer support, presenting a conceptual map based on a 3-year knowledge synthesis project involving peers and programme stakeholders in Canada, and international scientific and grey literature.
SYNTHESIS/MAIN RESULTS
The map introduces six key questions to navigate and situate peer support approaches according to peers' roles, pathways and settings of practice, regardless of the terms used to label them. As a tool, it offers a broad overview of the different ways peers contribute to integrating health and community care.
DISCUSSION
We conclude by discussing the map's potential and limitations to establish a common language and bridge models, in support of knowledge exchange among practitioners, policymakers and researchers.
PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION
Our team includes one experienced peer support worker. She contributed to the design of the conceptual map and the production of the manuscript. More than 10 peers working across Canada were also involved during research meetings to validate and refine the conceptual map.
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