Abstract
IntroductionThis study examined acceptance by staff and patients of a therapy dog (TD) in the emergency department (ED).MethodsImmediately after TD visits to a University Hospital ED, all available ED staff, patients, and their visitors were invited to complete a survey.ResultsOf 125 “patient” and 105 staff responses, most were favorable. Ninety-three percent of patients and 95% of staff agreed that TDs should visit EDs; 87.8% of patients and 92% of staff approved of TDs for both adult and pediatric patients. Fewer than 5% of either patients or staff were afraid of the TDs. Fewer than 10% of patients and staff thought the TDs posed a sanitary risk or interfered with staff work.ConclusionBoth patients and staff approve of TDs in an ED. The benefits of animal-assisted therapy should be further explored in the ED setting.
Highlights
This study examined acceptance by staff and patients of a therapy dog (TD) in the emergency department (ED)
Ninety-three percent of patients and 95% of staff agreed that TDs should visit EDs; 87.8% of patients and 92% of staff approved of TDs for both adult and pediatric patients
Fewer than 10% of patients and staff thought the TDs posed a sanitary risk or interfered with staff work. Both patients and staff approve of TDs in an ED
Summary
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a therapeutic patient interaction with a domestic ‘‘pet-type’’ animal that is not one’s own pet.[1] The documented benefits of AAT include improved physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning; reduced blood pressure and triglyceride levels; and even reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.[2,3,4] Psychiatric patients benefit by reduced stress.[5] Patients with heart failure have lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, with systolic pulmonary artery and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure reductions after AAT.[6]. Potential hazards of AAT may include animal bites, allergies, and zoonotic infections.[7,8] Animal-assisted therapy programs minimize these hazards by vaccinating and washing the animals, special training, and the continuous presence of handlers.[4,7] Adverse events are very rare when AAT protocols are followed.[9,10]
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