Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 12;12(5):e057518.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057518.

'It's the empathy'-defining a role for peer support among people living with chronic kidney disease: a qualitative study

Meghan J Elliott  1   2 , Shannan Love  2 , Danielle E Fox  3 , Nancy Verdin  4   5   6 , Maoliosa Donald  2 , Kate Manns  2 , David Cunningham  4 , Jill Goth  4 , Brenda R Hemmelgarn  7
Affiliations

'It's the empathy'-defining a role for peer support among people living with chronic kidney disease: a qualitative study

Meghan J Elliott et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: Persons with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) have unique support needs associated with managing a chronic yet often silent condition, complex treatment-related decisions and care transitions. The aim of this study was to explore perspectives on how peer support could address CKD support needs and augment care.

Design: This study employed a qualitative descriptive methodology. Data were collected through focus groups (cofacilitated by patient partners) and semistructured interviews.

Setting: Four multidisciplinary CKD clinics across Southern Alberta, Canada.

Participants: We purposively sampled among adult patients with advanced, non-dialysis CKD and their caregivers, as well as trained peer mentors from The Kidney Foundation of Canada's Kidney Connect programme.

Analysis: Transcripts were coded in duplicate, and themes were generated inductively through a thematic analysis approach.

Results: We conducted seven focus groups with a total of 39 patient and caregiver participants. Seven patients and caregivers who were unable to attend a focus group and 13 peer mentors participated in a telephone interview. Although patients and caregivers had limited awareness of peer support, participants acknowledged its central role in affirming their experiences and enabling confidence to live well with kidney disease. We identified four themes related to the anticipated role of peer support in addressing support needs for people with non-dialysis CKD: (1) creating connection; (2) preparing for uncertainty; (3) adapting to new realities; and (4) responsive peer support delivery. Aligning peer support access with patient readiness and existing CKD management supports can promote optimism, community and pragmatic adaptations to challenges.

Conclusions: Patients, caregivers and peer mentors highlighted a unique value in the shared experiences of CKD peers to anticipate and manage disease-related challenges and confidently face a future living with kidney disease.

Keywords: chronic kidney disease; patient engagement; peer support; qualitative research; support needs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationship between themes, peer support attributes and mechanisms by which peer support can address expressed needs of people with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Donald M, Beanlands H, Straus S, et al. . Identifying Needs for Self-management Interventions for Adults With CKD and Their Caregivers: A Qualitative Study. Am J Kidney Dis 2019;74:474–82. 10.1053/j.ajkd.2019.02.006 - DOI - PubMed
    1. GBD Chronic Kidney Disease Collaboration . Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2017. Lancet 2020;395:709–33. 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30045-3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bello AK, Alrukhaimi M, Ashuntantang GE, et al. . Complications of chronic kidney disease: current state, knowledge gaps, and strategy for action. Kidney Int Suppl 2017;7:122–9. 10.1016/j.kisu.2017.07.007 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bowling CB, Vandenberg AE, Phillips LS, et al. . Older patients' perspectives on managing complexity in CKD self-management. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2017;12:635–43. 10.2215/CJN.06850616 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Engels N, de Graav G, van der Nat P, et al. . Shared decision-making in advanced kidney disease: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open 2020;10:e034142. 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034142 - DOI - PMC - PubMed