Rehabilitation professionals' views on individual peer support interventions for assisting stroke survivors with...

We aimed to explore stroke rehabilitation professionals' understanding and representations of peer support; the benefits they anticipated for patients; and the levers and barriers they perceived to implement the intervention in their practice.

This qualitative study comprised four focus groups with 21 rehabilitation professionals and four semi-structured interviews. It was held in a French hospital. Interpretation was guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Although professionals had poor knowledge on peer support, they identified many unmet needs of stroke survivors that peer support could meet such as social, emotional and informational support. Main barriers were the lack of human and financial resources, and of linkage between hospital and community professionals, and the fear that peer support would give false hope to survivors if not delivered properly. They showed ambivalence towards patient engagement, acknowledging its importance, but demonstrating top-down attitudes. They also identified potential avenues for the implementation of peer support for stroke survivors.

Our study supports the necessity to involve professionals in the construction of peer-support interventions and to sensitise them to provide patient-centred care. It delivers insights on effective implementation strategies to develop peer support interventions for stroke survivors reintegrating the community.