136The Novel Introduction of Dog Therapy to a Rehabilitation Hospital

Abstract

Background: Established evidence shows that engagement with animals improves patient mood and activity. Animal therapy is now a recommended treatment for dementia by NICE. Dog therapy in particular has proven safety with no infection recorded by Irish or US authorities since monitoring began in the 1930s. We introduced a twelve-month trial of weekly dog therapy from May 2017 for hospital patients undergoing medical rehabilitation. Method(s): Approval was sought in advance from patients, hospital management, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, doctors and infection control managers by one-to-one engagement and presentation of risks and benefits. Trained dogs and their owners were selected and managed by Peata, an Irish therapy dog organisation. Dogs visited weekly for two hours and engaged with up to sixty patients at their bedsides. We undertook qualitative interviews with patients and above-mentioned stakeholders following dog visits. We monitored infection risks and outcomes. Result(s): It took six weeks to win approval from all stakeholders for the introduction of dog therapy. Critical areas of discussion were infection control and patient safety. On a weekly basis, a significant majority of patients (>90%) agreed to engage with dogs. Qualitative outcomes include patients describing a lift in their overall mood and sustained increased communication among patients; physiotherapists describing carry-over from dog visits that improved subsequent physiotherapy participation; nurses observing patients who had previously not smiled due to pain management, smiling for the first time with dogs. There was no negative feedback given. There were no infections or adverse safety incidents recorded throughout the year from therapy dog visits. There was no cost to the hospital. Conclusion(s): We introduced novel dog therapy to a rehabilitation hospital through careful diverse stakeholder engagement. Dog therapy complemented other forms of therapy and appeared to achieve qualitative benefits to patient mood and overall experience in hospital.