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Are there specific studies on the efficacy of peers in treatment adherence?

Studies of peer support for various chronic disease treatments including HIV have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving medication adherence and appointment keeping among clients. Here are a few of them:

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), Community Health Advisors: Models, Research, and Practice, USDHHS, Public Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, September 1994
  • World Health Organization, Adherence to Long-term Therapy: Evidence for Action, Geneva, Switzerland, 2003.
  • California Health Care Foundation. Building Peer Support Programs to Manage Chronic Disease: Seven Models for Success. December 2006.

The following studies address peer-driven interventions more directly:

  • Broadhead, R. S., Heckathorn, D. D., Altice, F. L., van Hulst, Y., Carbone, M., Friedland, G. H., et al. (2002). Increasing drug users’ adherence to HIV treatment: results of a peer-driven intervention feasibility study. Soc Sci Med, 55(2), 235-246.
  • Molitor, F., Kuenneth, C., Waltermeyer, J., Mendoza, M., Aguirre, A., Brockmann, K., et al. (2005). Linking HIV-infected persons of color and injection drug users to HIV medical and other services: the California Bridge Project. AIDS Patient Care STDS, 19(6), 406-412.

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