Barclay L, Hilton G, Fossey E, Ponsford J, Downing M, Analytis P, Ross P
Department of Occupational Therapy, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia; Spinal Research Institute, Kew, Victoria, Australia.
Department of Occupational Therapy, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia; Occupational Therapy Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.
Disabil Health J. 2025 Jan;18(1):101680. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2024.101680. Epub 2024 Aug 13.
Peer mentors have a role in facilitating the participation, health and well-being of people who have had a traumatic injury. Few studies have explored the involvement of peer mentors in an early intervention vocational rehabilitation (EIVR) service following trauma.
This study aimed to explore the experience of implementing peer support within the context of an EIVR service from the perspectives of the peer mentors themselves, the vocational therapists supervising them, and the patients that received peer mentoring.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty participants from three groups: peer mentors (n = 4); vocational therapists (n = 3); and patients who received the EIVR intervention (n = 24). Data were thematically analysed.
Three themes were identified: The value of peer input in an EIVR service, The facilitators impacting the value of peer involvement as part of the EIVR service, The challenges impacting peer input as part of an EIVR service.
The inclusion of peer mentors early after major traumatic injury was a unique and valuable addition to the EIVR service. Offering peer support early on in rehabilitation enabled patients to gain a sense of hope for their future, and the expectation that returning to work was a realistic option. The careful selection of peer mentors, and ensuring they receive adequate preparation and ongoing supervision are vital to support their well-being during the intervention. Aiming to match peer mentors with similar injuries and work backgrounds to patients is an important contributor to the likely ongoing engagement of the mentee with the mentor.
同伴导师在促进创伤性损伤患者的参与、健康和福祉方面发挥着作用。很少有研究探讨同伴导师在创伤后的早期干预职业康复（EIVR）服务中的参与情况。
本研究旨在从同伴导师自身、监督他们的职业治疗师以及接受同伴指导的患者的角度，探索在EIVR服务背景下实施同伴支持的经验。
对来自三组的20名参与者进行了半结构化访谈：同伴导师（n = 4）；职业治疗师（n = 3）；以及接受EIVR干预的患者（n = 24）。对数据进行了主题分析。
确定了三个主题：同伴投入在EIVR服务中的价值；影响同伴作为EIVR服务一部分参与价值的促进因素；影响同伴作为EIVR服务一部分投入的挑战。
在重大创伤性损伤后早期纳入同伴导师是EIVR服务中一项独特且有价值的补充。在康复早期提供同伴支持使患者对自己的未来有了希望感，并期望重返工作是一个现实的选择。仔细挑选同伴导师，并确保他们得到充分的准备和持续的监督，对于在干预期间支持他们的福祉至关重要。旨在将同伴导师与患者的类似损伤和工作背景相匹配，是受指导者可能持续与导师保持互动的一个重要因素。
