Breaking down walls: modelling engagement with peer support in GPs

GPs in the UK are at increasing risk of burnout. Peer support (PS) is defined as resources provided by colleagues, such as informational or emotional support, which is either organisationally mandated (formal) or informal. PS has been described in the literature as a method of mitigating burnout. However, little is known about how GPs support one another and what optimises PS in primary care. To explore what PS looks like between GPs and the moderators of PS in primary care. Fifteen GPs across England were purposively sampled to collect perspectives from locum and salaried GPs and GP partners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Five major forms of PS in primary care were identified, relating to the emotional support, professional advice, sharing of workload, mentorship, and personal interactions GPs provided each other with. Four moderators of peer support were described: individual traits, interpersonal relationships, practice-specific (relating to the working culture within a specific practice), and occupational factors (intrinsic to primary care). This qualitative research fills a literature gap regarding moderating factors for engaging with PS in GPs and highlights the unique interactions of these factors. The proposition of a novel model to visualise the interplay of moderators provides basis for evidence-based interventions to test, target, and facilitate better PS in primary care.