Dr. Chinman is with the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh. Dr. McInnes is with the Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, Massachusetts, where Dr. Eisen, an independent consultant, was formerly affiliated. He is also with the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, where Dr. Eisen was also affiliated. Dr. Ellison is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. Dr. Farkas is with the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Sargent College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston. Mr. Armstrong is with the Errera Community Care Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven. Dr. Resnick is with the Veterans Integrated Service Network 1, MIRECC, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, and the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
Psychiatr Serv. 2017 Sep 1;68(9):955-957. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201700054. Epub 2017 Jun 15.
Mental health peer specialists are individuals with serious mental illnesses who receive training to use their lived experiences to help others with serious mental illnesses in clinical settings. This Open Forum discusses the state of the research for mental health peer specialists and suggests a research agenda to advance the field. Studies have suggested that peer specialists vary widely in their roles, settings, and theoretical orientations. Theories of action have been proposed, but none have been tested. Outcome studies have shown benefits of peer specialists; however, many studies have methodological shortcomings. Qualitative descriptions of peer specialists are plentiful but lack grounding in implementation science frameworks. A research agenda advancing the field could include empirically testing theoretical mechanisms of peer specialists, developing a measure of peer specialist fidelity, conducting more rigorous outcomes studies, involving peer specialists in executing the research, and assessing various factors that influence implementing peer specialist services and testing strategies that could address those factors.
心理健康同伴专家是指患有严重精神疾病的个体，他们接受培训，利用自己的生活经验在临床环境中帮助其他患有严重精神疾病的人。本《论坛》讨论了心理健康同伴专家的研究现状，并提出了一个研究议程，以推动该领域的发展。研究表明，同伴专家在角色、环境和理论取向方面差异很大。已经提出了行动理论，但没有一个得到验证。结果研究表明同伴专家有好处；然而，许多研究都存在方法上的缺陷。对同伴专家的定性描述很多，但缺乏实施科学框架的基础。推进该领域的研究议程可以包括实证检验同伴专家的理论机制，开发同伴专家保真度的衡量标准，进行更严格的结果研究，让同伴专家参与执行研究，评估影响实施同伴专家服务的各种因素，并测试可以解决这些因素的策略。
