Innovative Practice: A National Guideline for the Use of Peer Support in Epilepsy Care

Last year, researchers from the healthcare system of Finland published their new national guidelines for healthcare for adults with epilepsy (Kälviäinen et al., 2025).  This is a comprehensive plan for how that care will be organized at all levels and with all clients.  The researchers based these new guidelines on the available research about what helps people recover and cope with this common illness, and on guidelines set by the World Health Organization around effective healthcare.

In the authors’ own words: “Peer support is a vital component of the Finnish model of epilepsy care. The patient organization FEA (Finnish Epilepsy Association) and its local associations offer peer support at all levels, ensuring that individuals with epilepsy have access to emotional and practical support from others who have experienced similar challenges.” 

Peer support is provided both to those with epilepsy and to their families.  It is available at the beginning, middle and end of care.  It is a source of education and emotional support.  There is virtual and in-person peer support in the form of individuals and groups.  It is integrated with the support provided by general medical staff and specialists.

This new development is exciting in a number of ways:

1.       It is another area of medical care that now includes peer support as part of what is formally recommended for good treatment.  This has been happening in almost every area of medical care, as providers and researchers have found the addition of peer support to improve the quality of the care and the likelihood of a positive outcome.

 2.      It is an example of a progressive government developing a national comprehensive plan that features peer support as a key element in “person-centered” care.  Researchers have been documenting the value of peer support and recommending its use, but this is a government including it in their national plan.

 3.      This plan describes itself as a “people-centered Integrated Care Pathway” that ensures that people receive the same level of effective care regardless of their background.  This is referring to the challenge of healthcare disparities in which different groups of people participate in care, and receive care at different levels depending on factors like race, gender, etc.  Healthcare disparities are a global problem that undermines health and treatment.  This is another example of the use of peer support to effectively reduce healthcare disparities.

 4.      The growing pattern of healthcare recommendations and innovations that include peer support suggests to me that a broader recognition is coming that peer support is generally a positive part of healthcare for most medical conditions and most mental health conditions.  The focus is shifting from “What illnesses is peer support helpful for?” to an assumption that peer support is likely helpful for virtually all illnesses, and that implementation is now the key question.

By sharing this new document, we’ll keep track of the ever-expanding use of peer support across the range of healthcare.  We want to keep up the drumbeat of success, reminding the very busy clinicians and healthcare administrators that Peer Support Specialists and peer support groups can make a real contribution to the care of the full range of medical and healthcare patients.  Again, this should shift the question from “Why should we include peer support?” to “” Why aren’t we including peer support?”

Kälviäinen, R., Hadj‐Allal, Z., Kirjavainen, J., Roivainen, R., Linnankivi, T., Peltola, J., ... & Finnish Severe Epilepsy Coordination Group. (2025). Epilepsy care pathway: The Finnish model. Epilepsia Open, 10(1), 177-185.