Peer Support Interventions for People With CKD: A Scoping Review.

Rationale & objective: Formalized peer support is a promising approach for addressing the emotional and practical needs of people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to systematically identify and summarize peer support interventions studied in individuals with CKD with or without kidney replacement therapy (KRT).

Sources of evidence: We searched electronic databases and grey literature sources in March 2023.

Eligibility criteria: Studies of any design were eligible if they reported sufficient detail on peer support interventions and outcomes for adults with CKD with or without KRT and/or their caregivers.

Charting methods: We extracted information on study and intervention characteristics and reported outcomes using established frameworks. We summarized quantitative data descriptively and qualitative data thematically. Our approach observed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews.

Results: We included 77 studies describing 56 unique peer support interventions. Most reports were program evaluations (39%) or randomized controlled trials (27%) published after 2013. Two thirds of interventions focused on in-centre hemodialysis or mixed CKD populations, and three quarters were integrated within a kidney care clinic or program. Whereas most peer interactions centered on informational support, few programs offered focused support in areas such as transplant navigation or dialysis modality selection. Only one third of outcomes were assessed against a comparator group, with results suggesting improvements in psychological health with peer support.

Limitations: Heterogeneity of included studies; lack of rigorous program evaluation.

Conclusions: This review suggests recent growth in peer support programming with a variety of formats and delivery methods to address the diverse needs of people living with kidney disease. Notable gaps in peer support availability for transplant and home dialysis recipients and the lack of rigorous evaluations present opportunities to expand the reach and impact of peer support in the kidney care context.