Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries

Conditions studied

Trauma Injury, Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Pain

About this study

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) with dogs has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of patients with both acute and chronic illnesses, including spinal cord injuries, heart failure, myocardial infarctions, strokes, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Studies have also demonstrated that even in healthy adults, the presence of dogs is associated with physiologic changes such as increased pain threshold, decreased blood pressure, and decreased heart rate. However, few studies have investigated the role of AAT in the post-operative course in adults. This study will investigate the impact of therapy dog visits on pain and anxiety scores for trauma patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC).

Interventions

• Other: Therapy dog visits — 2-3 ten-minute visits by a trained therapy dog and the dog's handler
• Other: Dog handler visits — 2-3 ten-minute visits by a dog handler

Primary outcomes

• Participants' pain assessed with a numeric analog score (24 hours after the last study visit)
• Participants' pain assessed with pictures of facial expressions (24 hours after the last study visit)
• Depression assessed by the Brief Mood Survey (24 hours after the last study visit)
• Anxiety assessed by the Brief Mood Survey (24 hours after the last study visit)
• Anger assessed by the Brief Mood Survey (24 hours after the last study visit)

Eligibility information

Study locations

• Boston Medical Center, Trauma Inpatient Service, Boston, Massachusetts 02118 United States