What is the volume, diversity and nature of recent, robust evidence for the use of peer support in health and social care? Protocol for a systematic evidence map

Evaluating the potential of peer support is receiving abundant attention. This is in response to the increasing financial pressures on NHS, which has led health and social care sector to realise the importance of enabling patients and carers to support themselves more effectively. While there is strong evidence on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of peer support intervention, it is currently not clear how future research could contribute in better understanding peer support interventions. Also, limited synthesised literature is available on which method of delivery of peer support may be the most effective in achieving positive patient outcomes and in terms of costs incurred. Thus, we aim to systematically map the volume, diversity and nature of recent, robust evidence for the use of peer support interventions in health and social care using a systematic evidence map.