iP2P Mentorship Program for Adolescent HF Patients

Implementation and Preliminary Effectiveness Evaluation of the iPeer2Peer Support Mentorship Program for Adolescent and Transitioning Heart Function Patients

The iPeer2Peer (iP2P) program is an online peer support mentorship program that provides modelling and reinforcement by trained young adult peer mentors to adolescent mentees with the same condition. A quasi-experimental single-arm pre-post study design will be employed across three sites. We will recruit 40 mentees (12-17 years of age) and 12-15 mentors (18-30 years of age) who will undergo training in mentoring and the use of eHealth technology. Mentor-mentee pairings will connect over 15 weeks through video calls and text messaging to provide peer support and encourage disease self-management skills. Data will be collected using standardized instruments and interviews across three time points.

Mentee inclusion criteria:

1. patient with a cardiac diagnosis,
2. at least 4 months post-diagnosis,
3. between the ages of 12 and 17 years,
4. able to speak and read English, and
5. willingness to commit to 5-10 texts and/or calls of 20-30 minutes each with a peer mentor over a period of 15 weeks.

Mentor inclusion criteria:

1. patient with a cardiac diagnosis,
2. between the ages of 18 and 30 years,
3. able to speak and read English,
4. nominated by a member of their health care team as a good mentor based on maturity and emotional stability,
5. willingness to commit to peer mentor training (20 hours) via the PHIPA-compliant version of Zoom or Microsoft Teams and mentoring adolescent participants (once paired with mentee, 5-10 texts and/or calls of 20-30 minutes over a period of 15 weeks),
6. good communication skills (as assessed by a healthcare provider), and
7. previous experience in a professional environment (e.g., as a camp counsellor, part time job, volunteering) is an asset.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. significant cognitive impairments as assessed by a qualified healthcare provider,
2. a diagnosis of an active psychological disorder (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder) likely to influence assessment of health-related quality of life and/or interfere with their ability to manage their heart failure care regimen (a diagnosis of an active psychological disorder will be determined for mentees through medical chart review and self-reported by mentors), and
3. participating in other peer support or self-management interventions.