Patient Preference and Adherence (Oct 2023)
Peer Support in Rheumatic Diseases: A Narrative Literature Review
Abstract
Nathan Karp,1 Jinoos Yazdany,1,2 Gabriela Schmajuk1– 3 1Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; 2Institute for Health Policy Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; 3Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health System, San Francisco, CA, USACorrespondence: Nathan Karp, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of California, 4150 Clement St. (111R), San Francisco, CA, 94121, USA, Tel +1 415 221 4810 ext. 23857, Email [email protected]: Rheumatic diseases are a group of chronic conditions that are associated with significant morbidity, impaired physical function, psychosocial stress, and cost to the healthcare system. Peer support interventions have been shown to have a positive impact on health outcomes in several chronic conditions, but no review has specifically assessed the impact of peer support on rheumatic conditions. The aim of this narrative literature review was to understand how peer support has been applied in the field of rheumatology, with a specific focus on the impact of observational and randomized studies of direct peer support interventions on various outcome measures across rheumatic conditions. We also examined studies exploring patient attitudes and preferences toward peer support. The majority of studies included focused on peer support in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Generally, patients across the spectrum of rheumatic disease perceive peer support as a useful tool. Peer support interventions, while highly variable, were generally associated with positive impacts on health-related quality of life metrics (both perceived and measured), although these differences were not always statistically significant. Important limitations include variability in study design, selection bias among study participants, and short follow-up periods across most peer support interventions.Keywords: rheumatology, patient preferences, peer navigation, peer support, self-management
