Peer support interaction in people with chronic diseases: nurses’ perspectives and practices

Introduction: Chronic disease implies a change in people's lives, requiring the assumption of new habits in order to adapt to a new health condition. The dynamic relationship between a person with a chronic condition and others who have the same disease ("peers"), and who have had an effective adaptation, has the potential to be beneficial, facilitating the development of behaviours and skills that promote a better quality of life and self-management of the disease. Objective: To describe nurses’ perspectives and practices regarding peer support for adults with chronic diseases. Methods: Observational and cross-sectional study, in a university hospital. A survey was applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 1-2 nurses per service, exploring their perspectives and practices. Results: 90 nurses from 55 units were interviewed. 27% said they frequently promote interaction between patients with similar clinical conditions. 58% consider peer support to the patient in adapting/accepting a new health condition as “very important”. The lack of motivation, involvement, and the manifestation of negative feelings and beliefs are the most frequent reasons for this intervention. The main gains focus on the dimensions of health behaviours and improved quality of life. Conclusion: Nurses recognize the potential of peer support, yet there is currently no systematic or intentional action to implement the nursing intervention: encouraging dynamic interaction with people with effective therapeutic regimen management.