The development and tailoring of a peer support program for patients with diabetes mellitus and depression in a primary health care setting in Central Uganda
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: About 20-40% of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) suffer from depressive disorders (DD) during the course of their illness. Despite the high burden of DD among patients with DM, it is rarely identified and adequately treated at the majority of primary health care clinics in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The use of peer support to deliver components of mental health care have been suggested in resource constrained SSA, even though its acceptability have not been fully examined. METHODS: We conducted qualitative interviews (QI) to assess the perceptions of DM patients with an experience of suffering from a DD about the acceptability of delivering peer support to patients with comorbid DM and DD. We then trained them to deliver peer support to DM patients who were newly diagnosed with DD. We identified challenges and potential barriers to a successful implementation of peer support, and generated solutions to these barriers. RESULTS: Participants reported that for one to be a peer, they need to be mature in age, consistently attend the clinics/keep appointments, and not to be suffering from any active physical or co-morbid mental or substance abuse disorder. Participants anticipated that the major barrier to the delivery of peer support would be high attrition rates as a result of the difficulty by DM patients in accessing the health care facility due to financial constraints. A potential solution to this barrier was having peer support sessions coinciding with the return date to hospital. Peers reported that the content of the intervention should mainly be about the fact that DM was a chronic medical condition for which there was need to adhere to lifelong treatment. There was consensus that peer support would be acceptable to the patients. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that a peer support program is an acceptable means of delivering adjunct care to support treatment adherence and management, especially in settings where there are severe staff shortages and psycho-education may not be routinely delivered.
Source: BMC Health Services Research
Institutions: Makerere University, University of Washington, RAND Corporation
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,490
Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
OpenAlex ID: W3028115317