8.7 Peer support Trained peer support is an approach that is based on a shared experience of a health condition (e.g. amputation) and specifically provided to support someone to manage their own health condition. It is based on trust, equality, a shared understanding, respect and mutual empowerment between people in similar situations [45]. There is consistent research evidence, and expert and experiential knowledge of the beneficial impact to the person’s recovery of the involvement from a trained peer support person [31, 46-49]. Peer support is known to assist and empower people to manage their health and wellbeing and, in particular, to [26, 45-47, 49-51]:
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emotionally adjust to the amputation
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improve social skills and re-engage with their communities
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self-manage their condition
Photo of Khoa Tran (Lifetime Care participant) and Xiaotong Huang (Coordinator – Lifetime Care)
feel accepted and socially included compare experiences find new coping strategies increase their knowledge through access to information and resources
improve their social and psychological wellbeing improve their quality of life.
LC0063_Guidance_on_the_support_pathway_v10
Peer support is most effective between people with the same health condition, but can also be effective between those with other factors in common, such as cultural background, language, religion, age, location, personal values or gender [52, 53]. Referral to a managed peer support program is one of NSW Health’s minimum standards of care of the person following amputation (refer to Standard 4 [26]) and recommended by guidelines [24]. The person should be offered the opportunity to access a trained peer support volunteer as early as possible (before the amputation when possible) and throughout the support pathway [24, 26, 54]. Even if the peer support is declined by the person at the time (e.g. as an inpatient), a trained peer support service should be available at any time in the pathway that the person chooses to access it. If face-to-face peer support contact is not possible or limited, virtual contact (similar to telehealth) may be considered [55].
© icareTM | Insurance and Care NSW 2021
Peer support providers and amputee support groups are an important part of the support system and part of the multidisciplinary team [54]. The information and education that a peer support worker can provide is not necessarily provided by any other multidisciplinary team member [55, 56]. Peer support workers and health professionals provide different types of support and neither can replace the other. In Australia, peer support programs for people with amputations are currently managed through notfor-profit organisations, which provide access to trained volunteers with lived experience (in some situations, this may be a carer of someone with an amputation). A managed peer support program ensures that peer support workers:
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“are matched to the needs of the individual person (e.g. age, sex, cause of amputation)
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have completed a formal program of training that reinforces strict guidelines and boundaries relating to program policies and procedures for dealing with people in vulnerable situations, support them in the development of skills for communication and listening
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have access to post-visitation debriefing and reporting
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have lived with amputation a minimum of 2–3 years and have adapted to limb loss
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undergo police and reference checks
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agree to abide by the policies and procedures of the program” (p. 17) [26].
icare Guidance for people with a limb amputation 2021
