Peer support interventions for self-efficacy and dietary and fluid adherence in adults receiving maintenance hemodialysis: A scoping review
https://doi.org/10.52235/lp.v7i4.1011
Keywords:
diet, hemodialysis, patient compliance, peer group, self efficacyAbstract
Background: Adults receiving maintenance hemodialysis face persistent dietary and fluid-management demands. Peer support offers lived-experience assistance, but the scope and measurement of related interventions remain unclear.
Objective: To map peer-support delivery formats, components, and outcomes related to self-efficacy, dietary and fluid adherence, interdialytic weight gain (IDWG), symptom self-management, and quality of life in adults receiving maintenance hemodialysis.
Methods: This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidance and was reported with reference to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Six sources (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect) were identified in the review records for publications dated January 2018–January 2026. Interventional primary studies involving adults receiving maintenance hemodialysis and an experiential peer-support component were eligible. Two reviewers screened records; findings were descriptively charted without meta-analysis.
Results: Of 658 identified records, 146 were duplicates, 512 were screened, 65 full-text reports were assessed, and 15 studies were included. Delivery formats included face-to-face groups, intradialytic sessions, telephone mentorship, virtual groups, and hybrid approaches. Outcomes encompassed self-efficacy, self-management, dietary and fluid adherence, IDWG, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life. Reported changes were sometimes favorable, but designs, measurement approaches, intensity, and follow-up were heterogeneous.
Conclusion: Peer support may complement dialysis nursing care, particularly through practical and psychosocial self-management support. Current evidence cannot establish comparative effectiveness, an optimal delivery format, or sustained benefit. Better-described, adequately powered comparative evaluations with validated measures and longer follow-up are needed.
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