Incorporating Animal Assisted Therapy Into Nursing Care

• Animal assisted therapy is a great form of non-pharmacologic treatment to reduce stress, anxiety, and various other health issues.
• It is important to note the differences between therapy and service dogs, as they have varying guidelines upon hospital entry.
• If you are interested in animal assisted therapy, Nursing CE Central has the scoop!

How happy would you be to see a dog strolling down your hall during an extremely stressful shift? I would like to think it would at least put a smile on your face, right?

Nurses are always under stress.

Whether they are facing time constraints, heavy workloads, stressful situations, or are juggling a multitude of other tasks, they need a little relief.

Animal assisted therapy is beginning to become implemented in hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the country and serves as a great stress reliever for patients, nurses, and other healthcare workers.  

What Is Animal Assisted Therapy? 

Non-profit organization, Therapet, defines animal assisted therapy as, “the utilization of animals as a therapeutic modality to facilitate healing and rehabilitation of patients with acute or chronic diseases.” 

Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy for Patients and Healthcare Staff 

With the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continuously rising in ICUs (for both patients and their providers), animal assisted therapy is a great form of non-pharmacologic treatment that is becoming commonly adopted into daily practice.  

Reputable, physician-approved online resource, Psychology Today, outlines that 12 to 43% of former ICU patients suffer from anxiety, and an astonishing 64% suffer from PTSD.  

On top of this, the risk of high stress and anxiety levels, as well as PTSD is very common among ICU nurses, which opens the door for opportunities involving animal assisted therapy to come into place. 

When the nursing staff is less stressed, they are able to provide better care to their patients.  

The peer reviewed study, “Impact of the Implementation of a Therapy Dog Program,” evaluated the success of animal assisted therapy in a healthcare facility, and both patients and staff members reported only positive outcomes.  

According to the results, all patients and staff members reported feeling satisfied with the implementation of therapy dogs and enjoyed having them present as it decreased their stress levels and significantly improved their moods.

Are Therapy Dogs the Same as Service Dogs? Can My Therapy Dog Come to Work with Me? 

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), no; service dogs do not have the same legal permissions or certifications as therapy dogs used for animal assisted therapy.  

If you are interested in certifying your animal, make sure to check your facility’s requirements!  

Some may require your furry friend to receive training from a specific therapy program, while others may be more lenient.  

Once you have met the outlined requirements, you will be able to incorporate your animal into your workday!
 

My Experience  

I am sure you all are wondering why I am so passionate about this topic. Well… 

I have a therapy dog! His name is Ryder, and he is a labradoodle who thinks he is human! I put him through a fully accredited program with Therapy Dogs Inc., and he did so well! It was an all-around great bonding experience for us.  

When I used to work in the hospital, I would take him with me to visit patients and staff members.

Sometimes, we would go visit family members in the OR waiting room to help calm their nerves. Other times, we would visit the med-surg floors to brighten patients’ days, and on occasion, I would take him into the ICU to visit staff members and the non-ventilated patients. 

Ryder was always the best boy when he was working! From my perspective, it was so apparent that the ICU staff members loved him, too.  

Ryder was able to give them a brief escape from their stressful reality.  

As you may now know, I am a huge advocate for the use and incorporation of animal assisted therapy into hospitals and outpatient facilities for both patients and staff.  

There are tons of publications out there that support the use of therapy dogs to reduce stress and anxiety; if you have some free time, I encourage you to look into it! 

Be an advocate in your own facility! Plus, it’s always fun to love on some animals!

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