Over a five year period, a pan-Canadian team of SCI community-based organizations and researchers collaborated to investigate and come to consensus on the most important outcomes for SCI peer support services.
Evaluation Survey Development Video
Watch this short video for an overview of the SCI Peer Support Evaluation Toolkit Development Process.
2023 Partnership Report
This 2023 report outlines the progress of the SCI Peer Support Community-University partnership over the last 5 years while providing avenues for next steps.
SCI Peer Support Evaluation Tool / Survey
Below are the 20 items included in the SCI Peer Support Evaluation Tool/Survey. The tool can be accessed and downloaded in various format.
Online Version
Below you can find the 20 items of the SCI Peer Support Evaluation Tool / Survey. The tool can be accessed and downloaded in various formats below
|
Outcome (Definition) |
Spinal cord injury peer support evaluation tool |
|---|---|
|
Understanding/Feeling Understood
(Sharing with someone who "hears me" and "gets what I am saying") |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I feel _____ understood.
|
|
(Reduced) Isolation
(Feeling (less) lonely) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I feel _____ in my experience with my spinal cord injury/disability.
|
|
Normalization
(Having the knowledge that others have had similar experiences) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I am ______ to see that other individuals with spinal cord injury/disability have experienced similar difficulties/challenges.
|
|
Community Engagement
(Integration and participation in the community) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I participate in programs, activities, or events in the community ______.
|
|
SCI Knowledge
(Having new information and an understanding of living with SCI) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I learned ______ about spinal cord injury from my peer supporter/mentor.
|
|
Rehab Transition Skills
(Learning tips and tricks for transitioning out of rehab (e.g., finding/adapting housing, finding/adapting transportation, etc.)
|
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I learned ______ from a peer supporter/mentor on how to transition to community living (for example, housing, transportation, etc).
|
|
Health Skills
(Learning tips and tricks for maintaining your health (e.g., managing spasm, skin care, etc.) )
|
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I learned ______ from a peer supporter/ mentor on how to maintain my health.
|
|
Self-care Skills
Learning tips and tricks for self-care (e.g., dressing/undressing, bowel/bladder care, personal grooming, etc.) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I learned ______ from a peer supporter/mentor on how to do self-care activities (for example, dressing, managing bowel/bladder, grooming...).
|
|
Independence
(One's self-sufficiency) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I feel ______ independent.
|
|
Belief in Oneself
(One's belief in their capacity to achieve things in the future) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I feel ______ to reach my goals in life.
|
|
Confidence
(Feeling self-assured about one's own qualities/capabilities) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I am ______ that I can accomplish most things I set out to do.
|
|
Dignity
(A sense of worth in oneself) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], my sense of worth in myself is ______.
|
|
Resilience
(The capacity to recover from difficult situations) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I am ______ to bounce back quickly from difficulties or setbacks.
|
|
Coping
(Having strategies to minimize or tolerate stress) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I am ______ to cope with the stresses/demands of my spinal cord injury/disability.
|
|
Positive Attitude
(A positive way of thinking or feeling about life) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I am ______ to look at things in a positive way.
|
|
Perseverance
(One's ability to do something despite facing difficulties) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I am ______ to keep going when problems arise.
|
|
Hope
(One's expectations that good things will happen) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I feel ______ hopeful.
|
|
Mental Health
(Having feelings about one's psychological state) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], my mental health is ______.
|
|
Happiness
(Feeling pleasure and contentment with life) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], I feel ______ happy.
|
|
Quality of life
(One's standard of health, comfort, happiness, and overall wellness) |
Thinking about my experience with the [Peer Support Program], my quality of life is ______.
|
Note: A higher rating on an item indicates more positive evaluation of their peer support experience on the outcome.
Glossary of Terms
- SCI peer support: a peer interaction that aims to help individuals who share similar lived experiences adapt and/or thrive.
- SCI peer mentorship: a purposeful and unidirectional peer support relationship, where a mentor shares their lived experience with a mentee.
- Peer supporter/mentor: someone who acts as a source of knowledge, guidance, and/or wisdom to a peer mentee with SCI.
- Peer mentee: an individual with a SCI who receives knowledge, guidance and/or wisdom from a peer supporter with SCI.
- Outcome: something that follows as a result or consequence of SCI peer support.
- [Peer Support Program]: various types of programs, service, or initiatives provided by community-based organizations to facilitate peer support among individuals with SCI. The term “[Peer Support Program]” in bracket can be replaced by the specific name of an organization’s program.
Downloadable Word Version
Access the Word version of the SCI Peer Support Evaluation Tool
Two-page Summary Infographic
This infographic provides a visual summary of the SCI Peer Support Evaluation Tool, highlighting its key components and how it can be used to assess the impact of peer support programs
Evaluation Survey Video
Watch this short video for an overview of the SCI Peer Support Evaluation Toolkit. The video introduces the purpose of the toolkit, walks through its key components, and explains how it can be used to support the evaluation and improvement of peer support programs for people with spinal cord injuries.
Evaluation Toolkit
The SCI Peer Support Evaluation Toolkit and its example is a document aimed to help users, such as organizations or peer support program leaders, to implement the Evaluation Tool/Survey within their peer support program or service. This Toolkit will take you through the process of creating and administering a personalized SCI Peer Support survey comprised of SCI peer support outcomes identified as important by Canadian SCI community organizations.
SCI Peer Support Evaluation Toolkit
