Assessing the Outcomes of an Animal-Assisted Intervention in a Paediatric Day Hospital: Perceptions of Children and Parents

Ávila-Álvarez, Adriana; Pardo-Vázquez, Jerónimo; De-Rosende-Celeiro, Iván; Jácome-Feijoo, Rita; Torres-Tobío, Gabriel

doi:10.3390/ani10101788

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Data from a 9-year study indicated a 93% percent positive change in the mood of patients [46]. Avila-Alverez and Pardo-Vasquez (2020) concur as children and parents gave AAI their highest satisfaction rating with a significant improvement in the child's mood [47]. In a survey of parents and staff at a children's hospital, Uglow (2019) reported that out of 200 respondents, 100% recommended expanding the services across the U.K. and had no concerns of the dogs being present, their behavior or cleanliness [48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Race, Zoonoses and Animal Assisted Interventions in Pediatric Cancer

Cotoc

Notaro

2022

IJERPH

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Emerging evidence accumulates regarding the benefits of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) in facilitating pediatric cancer treatment and alleviating symptomatology through positive changes in the patients’ emotional, mental, and even physical status. A major concern expressed by healthcare providers and parents in implementing AAIs in hospital settings is the transmission of disease from animals to patients. Immunocompromised children, such as pediatric cancer patients are at increased risk for pet-associated diseases. Furthermore, existing disparities among the racial and ethnic minority groups of pediatric cancer patients can potentially exacerbate their risk for zoonoses. This literature review highlights the most common human infections from therapy animals, connections to the race and ethnic background of pediatric oncology patients, as well as means of prevention. The discussion is limited to dogs, which are typically the most commonly used species in hospital-based animal-assisted therapy. The aim is to highlight specific preventive measures, precautions and recommendations that must be considered in hospitals’ protocols and best practices, particularly given the plethora of benefits provided by AAI for pediatric cancer patients, staff and families.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Race, Zoonoses and Animal Assisted Interventions in Pediatric Cancer

Cotoc

Notaro

2022

IJERPH

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“…and psychological (i.e., treatment of post-traumatic stress) [ 20 ]. Most studies focused on the benefits that a therapy dog can provide in different areas, such as autism spectrum disorder [ 21 , 22 ], stress [ 23 , 24 ], Alzheimer’s disease [ 25 ], the school environment [ 26 , 27 ], rehabilitation [ 28 , 29 ], the hospital environment [ 30 , 31 ], and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Research of Standardized Protocols for Dog Involvement in Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review

Santaniello

Garzillo

Cristiano

et al. 2021

Animals

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Dogs are considered the most important species involved in animal-assisted therapy (AAT), and the scientific literature focuses on the benefits linked to the involvement of dogs in various therapeutic areas. In this study, we carried out a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, exploring the scientific literature from the last 5 years (2016–2021) on three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to highlight the characteristics of the dogs involved in AATs. Based on the scientific literature relevant to such dogs, we considered different parameters (i.e., number, age, sex, breed, temperament, methods of choice and training, health status, research goals, and activities with dogs) to include studies in our paper. After screening 4331 papers identified on the searched databases, we selected 38 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of the included articles showed that the characteristics of the dogs were neglected. Our findings indicated a lack of information about the dogs, as well as the absence of standardized and univocal criteria for dog selection, training programs, and health protocols.

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The pilot study of group robot intervention on pediatric inpatients and their caregivers, using ‘new aibo’

et al. 2021

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The study on robot-assisted therapy in a pediatric field has not been applied sufficiently in clinical settings. The purpose of this pilot study is to explore the potential therapeutic effects of a group robot intervention (GRI), using dog-like social robot (SR) ‘aibo’ in pediatric ward. GRI by aibo was conducted for those children with chronic illness (127 in total) who are hospitalized in National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), and their caregivers (116 in total), from March to April 2018. The observer made structured behavioural observation records, based on which qualitative research on the features of their words and conducts, were carried out. As a result, first, during the GRI, about 2/3 of total expression by children were positive, while about 1/4 were negative or inappropriate. On the other hand, as seen in the ‘change’ group, those children who had originally responded with negative expression eventually came to express positive expression, while getting involved in a ternary relationship or participating in a session more than once. Secondly, as for the expression from the caregivers during the GRI, active expressions such as ‘participation’ and ‘exploration’ accounted for the 2/3, while 1/3 turned out to be rather placid expressions such as ‘watch over’ or ‘encourage.’Conclusion: There has not been any precedent study on the features of words and conducts expressed by patients and their caregivers during the GRI by aibo. The outcome suggests that aibo could possibly be used as a tool for group robot-assisted therapy in the pediatric treatment setting. What is Known:• The study on robot-assisted therapy in a pediatric field has only just begun.• Though many kinds of social robot have been reportedly used so far, none has yet to be applied in clinical settings What is New:• Our study revealed the features of words and behaviour expressed by the patients and their caregivers, when dog-like social robot ‘aibo’ was used for a group robot intervention in the pediatric ward.• The outcome suggests that aibo could possibly be used as a tool for group robot-assisted therapy in the pediatric treatment setting.

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Assessing the Outcomes of an Animal-Assisted Intervention in a Paediatric Day Hospital: Perceptions of Children and Parents

Cited by 5 publications

References 46 publications

Race, Zoonoses and Animal Assisted Interventions in Pediatric Cancer

Race, Zoonoses and Animal Assisted Interventions in Pediatric Cancer

The Research of Standardized Protocols for Dog Involvement in Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review

The pilot study of group robot intervention on pediatric inpatients and their caregivers, using ‘new aibo’

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