Effects of Peer Mentoring on Self-Efficacy and Hospital Readmission After Inpatient Rehabilitation of Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of intensive peer mentoring on patient-reported outcomes of self-efficacy and unplanned hospital readmissions for persons with spinal cord injury/disease (SCI/D) within the first 6 months after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Nonprofit inpatient rehabilitation hospital specializing in care of persons with SCI/D and brain injury.

Participants: Patients (N=158) admitted to the SCI/D rehabilitation program whose discharge location was a community setting. Participants (51% with paraplegia and 49% with tetraplegia) were 73% white and 77% men, with a mean age of 38 years.

Interventions: Participants in the experimental group received initial consult/introduction with a peer support program liaison and were assigned a peer mentor, who met with the participant weekly throughout the inpatient stay and made weekly contact by phone, e-mail, or in person for 90 days postdischarge. Participants also were encouraged to participate in regularly scheduled peer support activities. Nonexperimental group participants were introduced to peer support and provided services only on request.

Main outcome measures: General Self-efficacy Scale (adapted to SCI/D), project-developed community integration self-efficacy scale, and patient-reported unplanned rehospitalizations.

Results: Growth rate for self-efficacy in the first 6 months postdischarge was significantly higher for experimental group participants than nonexperimental group participants. Experimental group participants also had significantly fewer unplanned hospital days.

Conclusions: This study provides evidence that individuals receiving intensive peer mentoring during and after rehabilitation for SCI/D demonstrate greater gains in self-efficacy over time and have fewer days of unplanned rehospitalization in the first 180 days postdischarge. More research is needed to examine the long-term effects of this intervention on health care utilization and the relation between improved health and patient-reported quality of life outcomes.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02274649.

Keywords: Mentors; Peer group; Rehabilitation; Spinal cord injuries.