Exploring the benefits of full-time hospital facility dogs working with nurse handlers in a children’s hospital (original) (raw)
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Take time to “paws”: a quality improvement project utilizing facility dogs for staff support
Academia Mental Health and Well-Being, 2024
Supporting the resilience and well-being of frontline nursing staff and medical professionals is critically important. This quality improvement project aimed to assess the impact of facility dog visits on the well-being of frontline nursing staff and medical professionals, both individually and at the unit level. Over three months, facility dogs, their handlers, and members of the staff resilience team visited outpatient and inpatient nursing areas, engaging staff in brief interactions. Surveys were administered to participants before visit (pre-visit), immediately after visits, and post-visit. These surveys assessed demographic information, individual mood, and perceived unit mood. Response to the visits was captured through immediate and post-visit surveys, while burnout was evaluated in pre- and post-visit surveys. Open-ended comments were also elicited from respondents. Overall, 87 unit visits were conducted, involving over 500 hematology or oncology frontline healthcare professionals, and 792 surveys were completed across three timepoints. Most respondents identified as inpatient nurses. Immediately following facility dog visits, more than 90% of respondents reported improved individual and unit mood, and over 70% reported sustained improvements in unit mood in the post-visit survey. Respondents’ comments reinforced the benefits of facility dog visits for staff wellness and resilience. Facility dog visits promote the well-being of pediatric hematology/oncology nurses, both individually and at the unit level, and should be scheduled regularly and frequently. This project highlights the importance of supporting the well-being of healthcare professionals and is relevant for individual healthcare professionals, the institutions they serve, and the patients under their care.
The Use of Dogs in Hospital Settings
2015
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), over 35 million people are hospitalized in the U.S. every year. Many hospitals across the country have incorporated animal programs, such as “animalassisted therapy” (AAT), “animal-assisted activities” (AAA), “animal-assisted interactions or interventions” (AAI), resident animals, or pet visitation to give patients the opportunity to interact safely with dogs and to make the hospital environment more comfortable and less stressful.
Prim-ly adding care: Case report of a student nurse/service dog team
Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 2017
Traditionally, a therapy dog has been a complimentary tool used by healthcare providers to provide stress relief to patients. However, animals can perform functions at an even greater capacity. Service animals are becoming a part of the healthcare team, by providing unique assistance to the healthcare providers rather than the patients. Thus, the workforce has expanded to include service dogs as a part of the healthcare team. This article discusses the unique challenges and opportunities provided by the use of service animal as a part of the healthcare team, as provided by the piloted use of a service animal with a student nurse in an acute care facility.
Impact of Therapy Dog Visits on Outpatient Nurse Welfare and Job Satisfaction
Pet Behaviour Science, 2018
Interaction with a therapy dog can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and improve heart rate variability; due to these responses, it suggests that human-animal interaction can alleviate the stress response. This study aims to observe if the effects of therapy dog visits could alleviate nursing burnout and increase work satisfaction in an outpatient setting. In addition, this study will observe at what visit frequency of therapy dog visits nurses benefited from most. This study is a two-part study, which also observed the salivary cortisol concentrations of the therapy dogs post therapy visit interaction. The study design was a randomized block design with five treatments over the course of four weeks: TRT A, two therapy dog visits a week; TRT B, one visit a week; TRT C, two visits; TRT D, one visit; and TRT E, no visits. Four out-patient nursing units were selected and asked to complete a demographic survey, the Pet Attitude Scale-Modified, and Lexington Attachment to Pet Scale. P...
Patient Opinion of Visiting Therapy Dogs in a Hospital Emergency Department
2020
To date there have been no studies examining whether patients want emergency department (ED) therapy dog programs. This patient-oriented study examined the opinions of patients about whether they would want to be visited by a therapy dog in the Royal University Hospital ED. Cross-sectional survey data were collected over a six week period from a convenience sample of 100 adult patients who had not been visited by a therapy dog in the ED. Most (80%) indicated they would want a visit by a therapy dog as an ED patient. A higher proportion of individuals who currently have a pet dog (95%) or identify as having lots of experience with dogs (71%) were more likely to indicate this want compared to those without a dog (90%) or little to no experience with dogs (62%). The majority were also of the opinion that patients may want to visit a therapy dog in the ED to reduce anxiety (92%) and frustration (87%) as well as to increase comfort (90%) and satisfaction (90%) and to a lesser extent to r...
Characteristics of Programs Involving Canine Visitation of Hospitalized People in Ontario •
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 2006
To determine the distribution of canine-visitation programs in Ontario and to characterize the nature of the programs the dogs are affiliated with. design. A cross-sectional survey of hospitals in Ontario was used to determine whether they permitted dogs to visit patients and, if so, where the dogs originated. On the basis of this information, dog owners were then contacted through their respective associations and interviewed using a standardized questionnaire.
Healthcare Management Forum, 2020
Acute care settings can expose staff to job-related stressors. Pups Assisting Wellness for Staff (P.A.W.S.) has been designed as an innovative approach to support acute care staff in the emergency department and intensive care unit. Initially, P.A.W.S. was implemented as a Comfort Dog Pilot and then expanded into a Therapy Dog Model. The Therapy Dog Model incorporated learnings from the Comfort Dog Pilot to evaluate the impact of the following: more dogs, using certified therapy dogs, and visiting at different times of the day. Results throughout the project demonstrated a positive impact on staff morale, staff stress, overall and staff satisfaction, and a strong desire for the project to continue. As a result and with a collaborative effort between a multidisciplinary team, P.A.W.S. has now been operationalized as a permanent program to support staff in acute care.
American Journal of Infection Control, 2006
Research has substantiated that animals improve human health, both psychologically and physiologically. Therefore, healthcare facilities have begun to implement programs, such as the ''Furry Friends Foundation,'' that bring animals into the facility to improve the quality of life of patients. When implementing these programs, consideration must be given to potential adverse events such as phobias, allergies, and particularly the possibility of zoonotic disease transmission. Santa Clara Valley Medical Centre (SCVMC), a 600-bed county teaching hospital with specialized units (e.g., for burns, rehabilitation, and pediatric care), has implemented programs that incorporate animals into the healthcare setting. This facility allows three categories of dogs to interact with their patients: service dogs, therapy dogs, and pet visitation dogs by the ''Furry Friends Foundation.'' A blurring of the roles of the three categories of dogs occurred when these programs were put into place at SCVMC. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that service animals cannot be prohibited from any area. For example, a ''no pet allowed'' policy could not apply to these animals. Proof of a person's disability or proof of the service animal's health or training cannot be required. The purpose of this project was to maintain these programs by clarifying the policies regarding animals, specifically dogs, in the healthcare setting. This had to take place to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for the patients and the staff. A comprehensive table was developed to delineate the three categories of dogs and the corresponding policies. Therapy dogs and the visitation animals are more restricted than service dogs. Both therapy dogs and visitation dogs require identification and certification of health and are excluded from certain areas of the facility, including intensive care units and isolation rooms. By complying with the current policies and regulations, the risks from these programs can be minimized. Staff should be educated on the proper terminology and procedures to prevent a blurring of the categories and roles of these animals.
A case study of the patient wait experience in an emergency department with therapy dogs
Patient Experience Journal, 2019
The quality of patient healthcare is a growing concern in Canada’s hospital emergency departments (ED) due to increasing wait times and associated adverse outcomes. A developing body of literature indicates that therapy dogs can positively impact the patient experience. In 2016, members of our team partnered with the Royal University Hospital (RUH) in Saskatchewan to become the first ED in Canada to integrate a visiting therapy dog to positively impact the patient wait experience. The aim of this preliminary case study was to examine if and how this unique initiative impacted patients’ feelings during their ED wait. A brief questionnaire was completed with one-hundred and twenty-four patients pre and post-therapy dog visit and a research observer documented the encounters. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed that visiting with a therapy dog in the ED appeared to improve patients’ feelings. Specifically, patients’ perceived comfort levels increased and their di...