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Evidence-Based and Inclusive Models of Peer Support for LC - Publication

Date

Jordan M.C.R., Kawalek J, Parkin A, Rayner C, Mir G, Sivan M, Greenhalgh T,
Towards evidence-based and inclusive models of peer support for long covid: A hermeneutic systematic review.
Social Science & Medicine 2023;115669. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115669 (PDF)

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This publication is an output from workstream 1 of the LOCOMOTION study.

Highlights:

  • Co-produced peer support can help people living with Long COVID (LC).
  • Increasing the use of effective peer support may reduce health inequalities.
  • Inclusive peer support can benefit ‘hardly reached’ Long Covid cohorts.
  • Linking biomedical, relational and socio-political styles are most effective.

 

Metrics:

 

Abstract:

Since the first wave of COVID in March 2020, the number of people living with LC has risen rapidly. However, questions still remain as to whether there is a hidden cohort of sufferers not accessing mainstream clinics. This group is likely to include already marginalised people, experiencing health inequalities and not accessing formal clinics. The challenge of supporting such patients includes the question of how best to organise and facilitate different forms of support.

The publication aimed to examine whether peer support is a potential option for hidden or hardly reached populations of LC sufferers, with a specific focus on the UK. A systematic hermeneutic literature review of peer support in other conditions (57 papers) was conducted. Through this the authors evaluated the global potential of peer support for the ongoing needs of people living with LC.

Through their analysis, they highlight three key peer support perspectives in healthcare. These reflect particular theoretical perspectives, goals, and understandings of what is ‘good health’. They call these:

  • Biomedical (disease control/management).
  • Relational (intersubjective mutual support).
  • Socio-political (advocacy, campaigning & social context).

Additionally, they identify three broad models for delivering peer support:

  • Service-led.
  • Community-based.
  • Social media.

Attention to power relations, social and cultural capital, and a co-design approach are key when developing peer support services for disadvantaged and underserved groups. Models from other long-term conditions suggest that peer support for LC can and should go beyond biomedical goals and harness the power of relational support and collective advocacy. This may be particularly important when seeking to reduce health inequalities and improve access for a potentially hidden cohort of sufferers.