Enhancing peer support interventions in diabetes care

Among the individual- and community-level strategies that have been implemented to improve care for people with diabetes, peer support from trained laypersons stands out as a versatile approach that has been effective and often cost-effective. This chapter discusses research that has found peer support to have significant impacts on diabetes knowledge, self-care behaviors, glycemic control, and emotional well-being. Furthermore, peer support interventions are proving to be cost-effective by improving clinical status, reducing long-term complications, reducing excess health-care utilization, and improving the efficiency of care delivery. Born of pragmatism and necessity, peer support helps fill the gaps in diabetes care and strengthens the public health system. Health-care systems around the world are increasingly tapping into peer support for diabetes care by partnering with community-based programs and integrating peer support into clinical care. This chapter summarizes the evidence for organized, intentional peer support in diabetes, recommendations for implementing high-quality programs, and implications for future research.