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Creating a therapeutic and healing environment with a pet therapy program
Amanda Bulette Coakley1, Ellen K Mahoney
1Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. abcoakley@partners.org
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
|July 15, 2009
Summary
Pet therapy significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and fatigue in hospitalized patients, improving their mood and energy levels. This low-cost intervention offers a meaningful way to enhance patient experience and recovery.
Area of Science:
- Nursing interventions
- Patient experience
- Therapeutic environments
Background:
- Hospitalized patients face stressors impacting experience and recovery.
- Need for evidence-based nursing interventions to reduce stress.
- Creating a therapeutic environment is crucial for healing.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate pet therapy's impact on hospitalized patients.
- Assess physiological, behavioral, and mood outcomes.
- Determine effects on patient experiences.
Main Methods:
- Quasi-experimental, pre-post, single-group design.
- Mixed methods approach with 59 hospitalized patients.
- Paired t-tests and content analysis for data evaluation.
Main Results:
- Significant reductions in pain, respiratory rate, and negative mood.
- Significant increase in perceived energy levels.
- Decreased tension, anxiety, fatigue; improved mood.
Conclusions:
- Pet therapy is a low-cost, low-tech intervention.
- Demonstrated improvements in mood and meaningfulness for patients.
- Supports pet therapy for enhancing hospitalized patient recovery.
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