Share the Care: Study Design, Implementation, and Baseline Participant Characteristics of a Peer Mentoring Program to Improve Outcomes for Informal Caregivers of Homebound Individuals with Advanced Parkinson’s Disease (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Homebound individuals with advanced Parkinson’s Disease (PD) require intensive caregiving, the majority of which is provided by informal, family caregivers. PD caregiver strain is an independent risk factor for institutionalization. There are currently no effective interventions to support advanced PD caregivers. Studies in other neurologic disorders, however, have demonstrated the potential for peer mentoring interventions to improve caregiver outcomes. In the context of an ongoing trial of interdisciplinary home visits, we designed and piloted a nested trial of caregiver peer mentoring for informal caregivers of individuals with advanced PD. OBJECTIVE To test the feasibility of peer mentoring for caregivers of homebound individuals with advanced PD and to evaluate its effects on anxiety, depression, and caregiver strain. METHODS Single-center pilot study of 16 weeks of caregiver peer mentoring nested within a yearlong controlled trial of interdisciplinary home visits. We recruited 34 experienced former or current family caregivers who completed structured mentor training. Caregivers enrolled in the larger interdisciplinary home visit trial consented to receive 16 weeks of weekly, one-to-one peer mentoring calls with a trained peer mentor. Weekly calls were guided by a curriculum on advanced PD management and caregiver support. Fidelity to and satisfaction with the intervention were gathered via biweekly study diaries. Anxiety, depression, and caregiver strain were measured pre- and post-mentoring intervention at Home Visits 2 and 3. RESULTS Enrollment and peer mentor training began in 2018, and 65 caregivers enrolled in the overarching trial. The majority of mentors and mentees were white, female spouses or partners of individuals with PD, and mentors had a mean of 8.7 years of caregiving experience (SD 6.4). Thirty-three mentors were matched with at least one mentee. Mentoring concluded in late 2020, with data analysis underway. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study of caregiver peer mentoring in PD and may establish an adaptable and sustainable model for disease-specific caregiver interventions in PD and other neurodegenerative diseases. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03189459; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ NCT03189459.

Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees

Purpose: We aimed to examine the participants’ satisfaction and evaluation of the program’s appropriateness, outcomes and benefits from participants’ perspectives and gather suggestions from students to improve peer mentor programs.Methods: From 2016 to 2018, 67 mentees and mentors participated in the peer mentoring program. All program participants were asked to participate in the survey, and the respondents were invited to focus group interview (FGI). Quantitative data was collected from the survey questionnaire. Qualitative data was gathered from the open-end questions in the survey and supplemented from additional semi-structured FGIs. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Results: Nineteen responded to the survey, and six participated in the further FGI. Qualitative data contained outcomes and mutual benefits, factors for mentoring success, negative experiences, and suggestions for improvement. Especially factors for mentoring success consisted of various methods of studying assistance, motivation, autonomy, responsibility, emotional support, and relational bonding as important topics concerning mentor-mentee experiences. The satisfaction scores about the program appropriateness, others’ attitudes, program implementation, ranged from 3.5 to 3.9 (5-point Likert scores) without significant difference between mentors and mentees. The only negative experience reported by a mentee was feeling the pressure. Specific guidelines on program implementation, pre-education for mentees, appropriate matching, and mentees’ clear purpose and spontaneity were suggested to improve the program.Conclusion: Participants were generally satisfied with the peer mentoring program, gaining academic and non-academic achievements, including emotional support and improved relationships. Furthermore, we expect that this program can be improved with participants’ suggestions in the future.

Peer mentorship to improve self-management of hip and knee osteoarthritis: a randomised feasibility trial

ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a peer mentorship intervention to improve self-management of osteoarthritis (OA).DesignSix-month parallel group non-blinded randomised feasibility trial.SettingOne secondary care and one primary care UK National Health Service Trust.ParticipantsFifty adults aged ≥55 years old with hip and/or knee OA.InterventionsParticipants were allocated 1:1 to the intervention or control group using an online randomisation service. Intervention group participants received usual care (information resources) and up to eight community-based self-management support sessions delivered by a peer mentor (trained volunteer with hip and/or knee OA). Control group participants received usual care only.Outcome measuresKey feasibility outcomes were participant and peer mentor recruitment and attrition, intervention completion and the sample size required for a definitive RCT. Based on these feasibility outcomes, four success criteria for proceeding to a definitive RCT were prespecified. Patient-reported outcomes were collected via questionnaires at baseline, 8 weeks and 6 months.ResultsNinety-six individuals were screened, 65 were eligible and 50 were randomised (25 per group). Of the 24 participants who commenced the intervention, 20 completed it. Four participants did not complete the 6-month questionnaire. Twenty-one individuals were eligible for the peer mentor role, 15 were trained and 5 withdrew prior to being matched with a participant. No intervention-related harms occurred. Allowing for 20% attrition, the sample size required for a definitive RCT was calculated as 170 participants. The intervention group showed improvements in self-management compared with the control group.ConclusionsThe feasibility outcomes achieved the prespecified criteria for proceeding to an RCT. The exploratory analyses suggest peer mentorship may improve OA self-management. An RCT of the OA peer mentorship intervention is therefore warranted with minor modifications to the intervention and trial procedures.Trial registration numberISRCTN:50675542.

Letter to the Editor Regarding “The Vigil of Medicine”

This letter to the editor is regarding “The Vigil of Medicine”, which is a reflection on the author’s personal experiences backpacking the John Muir Trail. In this piece, the author discusses not being afraid to look back, while seeing the campers behind her holding up a “string of headlights that snake up the mountain”. I agree with the author that this “string of headlights” resembles the journey of medical school. Every year, more students begin their journey into medicine, and as more senior medical students, we have a responsibility of leading our younger classmates behind us. In this letter, I draw on this importance of leadership integrated into medical school curricula (e.g., through student-led organizations) and discuss my time as a Peer Mentor (PM) while as a second-year medical student. As a PM, I was able to provide much support to my first-year classmates through ways such as bringing snacks each weekend, taking walks to a local ice cream store, and running tutoring sessions. When my time as a PM was over, many of my then first-year classmates graduated to become second-years, and gladly took over the program with gratitude as they embarked on leading their incoming freshmen classmates. This opportunity uniquely embodies the concept of the “string of headlights”, and this letter encourages senior medical students to continue leading their younger classmates so the path of headlights can continue to burn bright.

Students as Partners in Peer Mentoring: Expectations, Experiences and Emotions

Increasing emphasis in recent years has been placed on how faculty, staff and students in higher education can be drawn into more collaborative learning relationships through partnership working. The significant challenges in terms of negotiating shifting roles and responsibilities have been well documented. Less attention has been paid to the affective challenges, and particularly the emotional labour involved. This paper focuses on the adoption of a partnership approach to first year peer mentoring and orientation in a large Social Science programme. Peer mentors played a critical role as designers of the programme, as partners delivering the programme, and as co-researchers, offering a unique understanding and insight into aspects of the peer mentor experience that often remain hidden. Our findings draw attention to the need to consider and manage more carefully the impact of students on each other in mentoring relationships but also suggest an opportunity to harness the mentoring experience to embed a partnership culture more fully.

Conducting Job Analysis for University Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor

Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor are two positions, which play important role for university. Student Ambassador play role in providing information for prospective student and help new arrivals student settle in, also make the most out of their time while at University, while Peer Mentor help the student to develop student’s academic track record. Both of this position must clearly know and understanding their job, tasks and responsibilities. In fact, an overload and overlapping job was experience by these two positions. Unclear and miss understanding about job and role became a root-problem. The purpose of this research is to design and analyse the job of Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor. Qualitatives used as a research method with questioner, interview, and documentation study were adopted as a collecting data method. The participants of this research are the jobholder and the supervisor of Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor. Research result is job analysis document for Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor provided and it consists of job description and job specification. Document of Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor Job Analysis has been approved the university. For future direction, effectiveness of job analysis and it relation with Student Ambassador and Peer Mentor performance must be research. Job analysis based on competences could be a suggestion for further work. Keywords— Job Analysis; Job Description; Job Specification; Human Resources Management Student Ambassador; Peer-Mentor Program

An Intervention of Academic Peer Mentoring Program towards Mathematics Grade among Secondary Students in Malaysia

Academic peer mentoring program between peer mentors and mentees has been widely implemented by school counselors. However, few researches have been examined the outcome of the Peer Mentor Module (PMM) on mathematics grade achievement in school. The PMM aim to improve the peer mentor’s soft skills namely in interpersonal relationship, communication, motivation, empathy and emotional stability. The present study examines the effect of participation of form four students in a secondary school in academic peer mentoring program as well as differences between individual and group approach on mathematic grade achievement. A total of 45 sampel form four students who failed in mathematic monthly tests whereby 30 students as mentee served as treatment group while the remainder 15 students as a control group. All 20 peer mentor students participated in an eight hours workshop using the Peer Mentor Module. The subjects were examined at week one for pre-test and post-test at week eight. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage and mean, with inferential analysis using Mann-Whitney U tests. Statistical analysis included (group x time) measures t-test to determine between and within group mean differences. The finding supports the hypothesis that PMM intervention shows positive effects on increasing the mathematic grade. It was found that the mathematic grade of Individual Peer Mentor Treatment Group is higher than the Group Peer Mentor Treatment Group. Therefore, a one-on-one session (one peer mentor and one mentee) provide better individualized attention for students as well as establish understanding of the content and advices from a peer mentor. This approach can become an important aspect in implementing the guidance and counselling practice that focus in academic peer mentoring.