Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan found that therapy dogs can help reduce pain, anxiety and depression in ER patients.
“They motivate us, they get us up and give us routines,” said Dr. Colleen Dell, lead study author and professor at the University of Saskatchewan, in a CNN interview.
The study collected data from 198 ER patients at The Royal University Hospital (RUH) Emergency Department in Saskatchewan, Canada. RUH was chosen for its “longstanding visiting therapy dog program,” per study authors. In the clinical trial, 101 patients received a 10-minute visit with a therapy dog; 97 patients were in the control group. Patients were waiting to be seen by a doctor, were in treatment or were waiting for a bed.
Therapy dogs visited the hospital on random days then served as controls on other days. Patients receiving a therapy dog visit were asked to rate their pain, anxiety, depression and general well being on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) before, immediately following and 20 minutes after the visit. Data on the control group was collected twice between a 30-minute interval.
Results showed that 48 percent of patients visited by a therapy dog experienced less anxiety, 43 percent reported reduced pain, 46 percent were less depressed and 41 percent endorsed improved well being. The degree of improvement across these metrics was not quantified in the study, though the study touted “significantly lower” pain among participants within the dog therapy team group compared to those in the control group.
The study also cited how emergency rooms can trigger and escalate pain in certain patients. Harsh lighting, the din of monitors and blaring alarms, staff scuffling about and prolonged wait times often spike the perception of pain. I can attest to this fact having served almost 20 years as an acute care medical speech pathologist. Dr. James Stempien of the University of Saskatchewan, an ER doctor and co-leader of the study with Dr. Dell, knows the scenario well.
“The emergency room is a hectic place,” Dr. Stempien said. “Anything we can do to improve the patient experience is welcomed.”
Prior to this study, the body of research on the effectiveness of therapy dogs in the hospital setting has been bashed for “lack of control groupings, small sample sizes and absence of quantitative data collection,” study authors wrote. “The current study is designed to address these criticisms in part and add to the knowledge base and methodological rigor of the field with the contribution of a controlled trial.”
Jessica Chubak, senior investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, told CNN in an email that “the results of the study are promising.”
“Our current understanding of the effects of therapy dog visits in emergency department settings is fairly limited,” Chubak added. “So, it is particularly important to have more research in this area.”
There are currently more than 50,000 therapy dogs nationwide. In the medical setting, they’re largely used by physical and occupational therapists. About 60 percent of hospice providers use pet therapies. Currently, it is rare to find pet therapy programs in hospital ICUs; maintaining safety for both patients and animals has been cited as a chief concern.
Dr. Dell, University of Saskatchewan study co-author, expressed hopes that study results prompt hospital administrators to establish protocols allowing more therapy dogs into the ER setting.
Never is the need greater than when one is in medical crisis.