Dog-assisted therapy (DAT) has shown benefits in people with mental health disorders. A child psychiatric day hospital would be a suitable setting to implement DAT and evaluate the benefits in a pediatric population. Methods: Mixed methods research in a naturalistic setting was considered in this pre-post quantitative study including 23 children under 13 treated in a day hospital over 2 years. Quantitative analysis included the number of emotional and behavioral outbursts and attendance rate and self-control and social impairment questionnaires completed by family members and therapists. In the qualitative study, the experiences of 12 mental health professionals involved in DAT were documented through semi-structured interviews. Results: On DAT days, there were fewer emotional and behavioral outbursts and higher attendance. Significant differences were obtained between pre- and post-test scores on the SCRS and the SRS-2 completed by the therapists, while no significant differences were obtained on the questionnaires completed by the parents. Observations based on the qualitative study were as follows: (1) DAT improves emotional self-regulation; (2) DAT could facilitate the work of therapists in day hospitals; (3) health professionals displayed uncertainty due to a lack of familiarity with DAT. Conclusions: DAT improved emotional self-regulation, attendance rate and self-control and social response in children with mental disorders attending a day hospital.
Introducción: Se presenta la implantación de un nuevo programa de atención preferente en población infantil y adolescente en el Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. Este programa surge tras el incremento de menores atendidos en urgencias de psiquiatría y el aumento de demanda de ingreso para esta población. El objetivo es atender a estos pacientes de forma prioritaria, favorecer la estabilización de su patología y tratar de evitar el ingreso hospitalario. Método: Se estudian los pacientes atendidos durante los 6 meses de funcionamiento del programa (entre el 13 de septiembre de 2021 y el 13 de marzo de 2022). Resultados: Se atendieron un total de 124 pacientes, 44 derivados para ingreso y 80 derivados desde el servicio de urgencias. Se han realizado 378 visitas y 402 coordinaciones con otros dispositivos asistenciales, servicios sociales y escolares. Desde su derivación a la primera intervención transcurrió una media de 1,5 días laborables. Un elevado porcentaje de pacientes presentaban ideación o tentativas autolíticas (54%). En un 59,6% de los pacientes se realizaba seguimiento psicosocial. Se evitó el ingreso hospitalario en 58,3% de los pacientes. Conclusión: Este programa se muestra como una respuesta útil y eficaz para ayudar en las situaciones de psicopatología aguda asociada a complejidad psicosocial de esta población. Los factores de riesgo psicosocial estuvieron presentes en gran parte de los pacientes, por lo que es importante una intervención multidisciplinar. Gracias a la intervención realizada, se recondujo la situación en gran parte de los pacientes, priorizando un tratamiento ambulatorio en colaboración con la red comunitaria.
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