Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations were eligible. Further inclusion criteria for the study design were not defined.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of interventions aimed principally at providing peer support, defined as emotional support based on shared personal experience, were eligible. The included studies examined the following types of peer support interventions: professionally supervised dyadic, face-to-face setting; professionally supervised group, face-to-face setting; professionally supervised group, remote setting; peer-supervised group, face-to-face setting; and peer-supervised group, remote setting.
Participants included in the review
Studies of patients with cancer were eligible. Studies of men, women, children and adolescents with various types of cancer were included in the review.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The outcomes were not pre-specified. The included studies assessed patient satisfaction, helpfulness of the intervention, acceptability, physical functioning, ability to cope and psychological distress.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how studies were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.