Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40048052›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025

Who is your ideal peer mentor? A qualitative study to identify cancer patient preferences for a digital peer support app.

Loes Knaapen, Andréa Maria Laizner, Kelly Agnew, Xiao Jian Du, Douaa El Abiad, Luc Galarneau, Susie Judd, James Manalad, Ridhi Mittal, Tristan Williams and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Loes KnaapenOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Andréa Maria LaiznerOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Kelly AgnewOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Xiao Jian DuGerald Bronfman Dept. Of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Douaa El AbiadOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Luc GalarneauOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Susie JuddOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
James ManaladMedical Physics Unit, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Ridhi MittalOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Tristan WilliamsOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Brandon WoolfsonGerald Bronfman Dept. Of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Angele WenOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
John KildeaOpal Health Informatics Group, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada. john.kildea@mcgill.ca.

Funding

Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS)/ Oncopole - PRIORITÉ PATIENT
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePeer support can provide many benefits to cancer patients. However, sustained use of one-on-one peer support requires a good match between patient and peer mentor. Using an artificial intelligence (AI) matching algorithm has the potential to improve peer matching by achieving complex, preference-based matching. Therefore, using stakeholder co-design, this study identified patient preferences for peer matching criteria and other features of OpalBuddy, a digital peer support service to be developed within the Opal patient portal.

methodsPatients using the Opal app were recruited, and semi-structured individual interviews were carried out with eight available women cancer patients. Qualitative data analysis followed an iterative and collaborative thematic analysis approach, using computer-assisted software (NVivo).

resultsThree themes, with supporting sub-themes, that describe patient preferences for matching with an ideal peer mentor were identified: Theme 1. An ideal mentor can provide support at multiple levels, with sub-themes describing the levels: (A) Sharing illness experiences, (B) Practical information support, (C) Emotional support, (D) Social management coaching. Theme 2. The ideal mentor has similar lived experience, with sub-themes describing the type of lived experience: (A) Similar clinical situation, (B) Similar socio-demographics, (C) Interpersonal affinity. Theme 3. The ideal peer mentor will be supported in their role, with sub-themes describing support options: (A) Formal or informal training, (B) General guidance, (C) Supportive supervision. Finally, based on different support needs (practical vs emotional), it was found that patients had varying, even opposing, expectations from a mentor's interpersonal communication style (solution focused vs good listener).

conclusionPatient preferences for an ideal peer mentor were identified through semi-structured interviews with a sample of eight women with a diverse set of cancers. Findings will be used to guide further work, including a similar study with men and a pilot study of a digital patient matching service for peer support in the open-source Opal patient portal.

Indexed as

MentorsMobile ApplicationsNeoplasmsPatient PreferencePeer GroupSocial SupportAdultAgedArtificial IntelligenceFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchCancerMentorPeer matchingPeer supportSemi-structured interviews

Identifiers

PMID40048052

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.