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Effect of animal assisted interactions on activity and stress response in children in acute care settings
Abstract
Objective
Determine the effects of animal assisted interactions (AAI) on activity and stress response in pediatric acute care settings.Design
Randomized treatment control design.Setting
Inpatient pediatric acute care units (PICU, CVICU and Hematology/Oncology).Patients
Eighty pediatric inpatients (49% male) age 2-19 years.Intervention
The AAI experimental group patients interacted with therapy dog teams for 5-10 min and the comparison group patients continued their current activity without an AAI visit.Measurement and results
Salivary cortisol, activity level, and mood were assessed before and after AAI. AAI was associated with a decrease in cortisol levels and increases in mood and activity.Conclusion
AAI benefits children in pediatric acute care units.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.