Therapy Dogs Are Good Medicine

Research findings support the use of therapy dogs to help reduce pain and anxiety.

A recent clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open investigated the effects of therapy dog interactions on anxiety levels among children in a pediatric emergency department setting.

Children who visit the emergency department (ED) often experience psychological stress and anxiety. This anxiety may be amplified by usual care processes that cause pain or fear, such as phlebotomy or intravenous access. Approximately 15% of children require chemical or physical interventions to allow care processes to continue, research found.

Children who interacted with therapy dogs were found to experience a significant reduction in anxiety compared to those who did not have such interactions.

The therapy dog group exhibited increased positive emotional responses, including smiling and laughter, during their emergency department visit.

What’s more, introducing therapy dogs did not result in any adverse events or negative reactions from the children or their parents.

“This clinical trial demonstrates novel evidence that animal-assisted therapy, adjunctive to child-life therapy, can reduce both child patient and parental perception of anxiety in their child in the ED,” researchers noted. “We found that compared with usual care with child-life specialists, when anxious children were exposed to an additional experience with a certified therapy dog and handler, they reported a statistically significant decrease in anxiety 45 minutes later. Simultaneously, the parental or guardian participants also reported significantly lower child anxiety with exposure to the therapy dog and handler.”

The study suggests that incorporating therapy dog interactions in pediatric emergency settings can effectively alleviate anxiety and enhance emotional well-being without causing harm.

To read the trial summary or download the full report. Click here.

Photo credit: istockphoto.com/S-S-S