Creating a therapeutic and healing environment with a pet therapy program.
BACKGROUND
Hospitalized patients encounter stressors that impact their experience and recovery. There is a need for theoretically-based, empirically supported nursing interventions to create a therapeutic and healing environment that decrease stress and improve patients' experiences.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether pet therapy interventions improve physiological, behavioral and mood outcomes and experiences of hospitalized patients.


METHODS
A single group pre-post-quasi-experimental design with mixed methods was used in 59 hospitalized patients. Paired t-tests were used to evaluate changes from baseline following a pet therapy intervention. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis.


RESULTS
Compared with baseline, patients had significant decreases in pain, respiratory rate and negative mood state and a significant increase in perceived energy level. Quantitative and qualitative findings provide support for decreased tension/anxiety and fatigue/inertia and improved overall mood.


CONCLUSIONS
Pet therapy is a low-tech, low-cost therapy that improved mood and was meaningful to hospitalized patients.
Coakley
Amanda Bulette
AB
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. abcoakley@partners.org
Mahoney
Ellen K
EK
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000523:psychology*; D004285:Dogs; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D012119:Respiration; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult