Peer-Support Interventions for Self-Management in Adults Living with an Intestinal Ostomy: A Scoping Review

Background/Objectives: This scoping review aimed to map the existing evidence on the aims, characteristics, outcomes and implementation facilitators and barriers of peer-support interventions designed to promote self-management in individuals living with an intestinal ostomy. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported according to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). A systematic literature search was conducted in December 2025 in the MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCOhost) and APA PsycINFO (ProQuest) databases. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods design studies written in any language were eligible for inclusion, with no restrictions on publication date, language or geographical location. Rayyan was used for duplicate removal and reference management. A total of 944 titles and abstracts were screened independently by two reviewers. Fifty-three full-text studies were assessed for eligibility. Data were extracted and synthesised descriptively and narratively. Results: Fourteen eligible publications were included, representing a range of study designs, including randomised controlled trials (n = 6), observational (n = 2) and quasi-experimental (n = 1) designs, feasibility, and economic evaluation studies. Studies were conducted primarily in the USA (n = 7), followed by Turkey (n = 3). Most peer-support interventions aimed to improve quality of life (n = 6). Peer-support interventions varied considerably in delivery mode, duration, facilitation, and intervention content. Interventions were delivered by peers alone (n = 2) or involved peers in collaboration with healthcare professionals or as part of multicomponent interventions and included face-to-face, remote, and other delivery formats, ranging from a single visit to a four-month duration. Several publications reported improvements in quality of life and self-management. Structured intervention content was reported to facilitate implementation, whereas accessibility and technological barriers were reported to limit intervention delivery. Conclusions: Peer-support interventions may represent a promising approach for supporting self-management among individuals living with an ostomy, particularly with several publications reporting improvements in self-management related outcomes. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the heterogeneity of intervention characteristics and study designs, together with the absence of critical appraisal of included publications. Future research should identify core components of peer-support interventions and evaluate their longer-term outcomes across diverse healthcare and cultural contexts.