Pawsitive Impacts of Therapy Dog Visits

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The goal of this unique 18 month study is to better understand the experiences of pain patients in the Royal University Hospital (RUH) Emergency Department (ED), to create excellence in health care. The purpose is to measure the impact of visiting therapy dogs on reducing ED patient pain.

Detailed Description
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The goal of this unique 18 month study is to better understand the experiences of pain patients in the Royal University Hospital (RUH) Emergency Department (ED), to create excellence in health care. The purpose is to measure the impact of visiting therapy dogs on reducing ED patient pain. The background rationale is that pain is the primary reason individuals attend an ED, patient pain is generally not well managed in EDs, Saskatchewan EDs have among the longest wait times in the country, and anxiety associated with ED waiting can negatively impact patients' pain. Research suggests a therapy dog can change patients' perceptions of pain and its intensity and facilitate relaxation. The intervention will be examined for its impact on patients' sensory pain (i.e., physical pain severity), affective pain (i.e., emotional pain unpleasantness) and anxiety. It is important to find creative, low-cost ways to respond to patients attending the ED for pain. The primary objective of this study is to generate new health-related knowledge on the ED pain patient experience. The secondary objectives are to implement effective end-of-grant knowledge translation and dissemination strategies and undertake a successful model of collaborative, multidisciplinary research among researchers, patient advisors and system representatives, rooted in a One Health framework.

Official Title
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A Study of the Pawsitive Impacts of Therapy Dog Visits With Adult Emergency Department Pain Patients

Conditions
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Pain, Pain, Acute, Pain, Chronic, Pain, Intractable

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Therapy Dog Team Visit


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Over the age of 18 Able to provide consent Attending the Emergency Department because of pain/discomfort Canadian Triage and Acuity Score (CTAS) of 2-5 Willing to visit with a therapy dog team (intervention group only) Exclusion Criteria: Pain medications (specifically immediate release acetaminophen and opioid analgesics) within an hour prior to the visit

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Data is to be collected 5 days a week, with animal testing days alternating with control days.
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Therapy Dog Team Visit<br>Patient interacts with the therapy dog and handler. | Behavioral: Therapy Dog Team Visit<br>* For the intervention group, patient interacts with the therapy dog, handler shares information about the therapy dog, asks about patient's pets, and offers a trading card of the therapy dog at the conclusion of the visit.<br>|
| No Intervention: No Therapy Dog Team Visit<br>No patient interaction with the therapy dog or handler. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of Participants Stratified by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (Revised Version) (ESAS-r) Pain Scores | Participants Stratified by Pain scores Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (revised version) (ESAS-r) 11-point rating scale (scale of 0 to 10), in which higher ratings indicate worse outcomes, Pain Scores at 20 Minutes Post Visit. | 20 minutes post visit | 
| Change in Pain Score | Pain score using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (revised version) (ESAS-r) 11-point rating scale (scale of 0 to 10), in which higher ratings indicate worse outcomes. | Baseline visit compared to 20 minutes post-visit | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of Participants Stratified by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (Revised Version) (ESAS-r) Anxiety Scores | Participants Stratified by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (revised version) (ESAS-r) 11-point rating scale (scale of 0 to 10), in which higher ratings indicate worse outcomes, Anxiety Scores at 20 Minutes Post Visit | 20 minutes post-visit | 
| Number of Participants Stratified by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (Revised Version) (ESAS-r) Depression Scores | Participants Stratified by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (revised version) (ESAS-r) 11-point rating scale (scale of 0 to 10), in which higher ratings indicate worse outcomes, Depression Scores at 20 Minutes Post Visit | 20 minutes post-visit | 
| Number of Participants Stratified by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (Revised Version) (ESAS-r) Well-Being Scores | Participants Stratified by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (revised version) (ESAS-r) 11-point rating scale (scale of 0 to 10), in which higher ratings indicate worse outcomes, Well-being Scores at 20 Minutes Post Visit. | 20 minutes post-visit | 
| Change in Blood Pressure | Mean arterial blood pressure using a blood pressure cuff | 20 minutes post-visit | 
| Change in Heart Rate | Radial pulse | 20 minutes post-visit | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Pain, Emergency Department, Therapy Dog