peerinformed

Peer-informed is an approach to policy, research, and service design that actively incorporates input from people who have lived experience with the issue being addressed. Unlike approaches that rely solely on professional expertise, peer-informed processes seek to bring the perspectives, knowledge, and values of those affected into decision making, planning, and evaluation.

Practices frequently involve advisory groups, focus panels, co-design workshops, or participatory research methods where peers collaborate with professionals, researchers, and staff. Applications span health care, addiction recovery, mental health services, education, criminal justice, and community development. The goal is to produce more relevant, acceptable, and effective interventions by grounding work in real-world experience.

Key principles include respect for lived experience, equitable partnerships, appropriate compensation, confidentiality, and transparent governance. Methods emphasize meaningful involvement rather than token consultation, and data collection or design activities are often co-led by peers or equal partners.

Challenges include tokenism, limited diversity among participating peers, power imbalances, resource needs, and ensuring representative input. Successful implementation typically requires peer recruitment, training, ethical safeguards, and ongoing evaluation. See also participatory action research, co-design, patient and public involvement.