What Peer Mentoring Adds to Already Good Patient Care: Implementing the Carpeta Roja Peer Mentoring Program in a Well-Resourced Health Care System

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a peer support program on the health outcomes of patients already receiving well-organized, comprehensive diabetes care. METHODS: We used a mixed-methods, nonrandomized, control-group design to evaluate the impact of a peer-mentoring program on the health outcomes and self-management behaviors of adults with type 2 diabetes in 15 primary care practices in San Antonio. Propensity score analysis, t-tests, and multivariable repeated analyses were used to evaluate impact. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 participants in the intervention group and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Both intervention and control groups showed significant improvement on all health indicators from baseline to 6-month follow-up (P<.001). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) decreased slightly faster for patients in the intervention group (P=.04). Self-management behaviors improved significantly from baseline to 6-month follow-up for the intervention group. Interviewed participants also reported reductions in social isolation and extension of impact of health behavior changes to multiple generations of family members. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of peer mentoring to already well-organized comprehensive diabetes care does not improve outcomes. However, findings suggest that the impact of the program extends to members of the participants' families, which is an intriguing finding that deserves further study.