Abstract
Long-term hospital stays might have a negative psychosocial impact on our patients. One way to positively activate hospitalized patients is to introduce animal-assisted therapy (AAT). A total of 72 individuals participated in this research. The experimental group comprised 33 patients (8 males, 25 females), while the control group contained 39 patients (11 men, 28 women). The participants in the control group were aged from 58 to 100 years and the experimental group featured participants aged from 51 to 95, for whom AAT was included alongside standard care. Blood pressure, heart rate, Barthel index, and general mood were measured in both groups. Results did not reveal any changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or Barthel index in comparison between groups. A great influence was noted in assessment of the mood of the patients. The inclusion of AAT did not affect physiological parameters, but it exerted a significant effect on the psychological well-being of the patients.
Highlights
Hospitalized patients, especially the elderly, are at risk of “hospitalization syndrome”, a condition associated with staying long-term in hospital
The experimental group that interacted with the dog showed more positive changes in general mood than the control group
Comparing the shifts between mood before and after sessions in frequency revealed that the greatest difference between the control and the experimental groups pertained to no shift in the parameter of mood whatsoever, which occurred 2.5 times more frequently for the control group than the experimental group
Summary
Hospitalized patients, especially the elderly, are at risk of “hospitalization syndrome”, a condition associated with staying long-term in hospital. Activities that had provided joy in the past are discontinued, the individual wishes to stay in bed and prefers to spend the entire day in their room or sleeps. A person becomes increasingly lethargic until they lose all interest in matters. This syndrome has many causes, the most common being medication, infection, response to surgery, isolation, and dehydration [2]. Another factor that can contribute to the development of hospitalization syndrome is the routine and stereotypical course of the days [3]
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