Clinical trial NCT06812247: Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries
Official title: Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Trauma Injury
Depression
Anxiety
Anger
Pain
Keywords: Therapy dogs
Healing pups
Animal assisted therapy (AAT)
Traumatic injuries recovery
Lead sponsor: Boston Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Boston Medical Center Healing Pups Program
First posted: 2025-02-06
Enrollment: 80
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Brief summary: 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).

Detailed description: This study will be a randomized control design. Within 48 hours of admission, the study team will approach eligible patients admitted to the inpatient trauma service to discuss the study and obtain informed consent from patients expected to be admitted for 3-7 days. Consenting patients will be randomized to either a) participate in 2-3 ten-minute dog visits or b) receive 2-3 ten-minute visits with a handler alone. Within 24 hours after the last anticipated study visit, a member of the study team will administer a survey to assess participants' pain, depression, anxiety, mood, and emotional quality of life.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients admitted to the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TACS) service following a trauma
* English or Spanish speaking
* Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Fear of dogs, allergy to dogs
* Immunocompromised
* Contact precautions
* Delirious, intubated, or otherwise unable to consent

Primary outcomes:
measure: Participants' pain assessed with a numeric analog score
timeFrame: 24 hours after the last study visit
measure: Participants' pain assessed with pictures of facial expressions
timeFrame: 24 hours after the last study visit
measure: Depression assessed by the Brief Mood Survey
timeFrame: 24 hours after the last study visit
measure: Anxiety assessed by the Brief Mood Survey
timeFrame: 24 hours after the last study visit
measure: Anger assessed by the Brief Mood Survey
timeFrame: 24 hours after the last study visit
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Emotional quality of life now
timeFrame: 24 hours after the last study visit
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: Boston Medical Center, Trauma Inpatient Service
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
affiliation: Boston Medical Center
name: Sabrina Sanchez, MD MPH
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: