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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02363608

Animal Assisted Activity Program on Patients and Staff on an Inpatient Surgical Oncology Unit

The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of canine-assisted activity visits on patients and staff in a hospital setting. The Caring Canines program uses dogs who have been trained to be obedient, calm and comforting. It involves a visit by a volunteer (called the dog's handler) and the volunteer's dog that has been trained and tested to have a good personality and to follow commands. A visit typically lasts about 10-15 minutes with the patient interacting with the dog while the dog is supervised by the handler. Memorial Sloan Kettering currently has Caring Canine dogs visit patients but the investigators don't yet know the impact of these visits on patients and staff. The investigators would like to see how the Caring Canine visits impact a patients' mood, including anxiety, stress, and sense of well-being. Two groups of patients will take part in this study - the first group will receive standard post surgery care and will not receive a visit from the Caring Canines program and the second group will receive daily visits (Tuesday -Friday) from the Caring Canines program while they are on M15. The purpose of this study is to look at differences in well-being between patients who have the visits with the dogs and patients who do not.

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Key information

Conditions

Postoperative Care

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, 10065, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Patients

  • Age greater than 21
  • Admitted to M15 following a Monday or Tuesday surgery
  • Ability to speak and read English.

Staff

  • Age greater than 21
  • Works at least one day shift a week on M15
  • Ability to speak and read English

Exclusion criteria

Patients

  • Self reported allergy to dogs
  • Medical need to be in an isolation room
  • Medical need to be in a Protective Environment room .

Staff

  • Self reported allergy to dogs

Treatment and study plan

standard post surgery care

Other

Caring Canine program

Behavioral

The therapy dogs who visit at MSKCC. A visit by a therapy dog typically lasts about 10-15 minutes with the patient interacting with the therapy dog while the dog is supervised by the handler.

baseline and post assessment

Behavioral

The baseline and post assessment will include the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL R-IV) (Stamm, 1997-2005) and qualitative questions.

Primary outcomes

  1. change from baseline in the follow-up PHQ-4 scores

    Time frame: 1 year

    The PHQ-4 is an ultra-brief self-report questionnaire that consists of a 2-item depression scale and a 2 item anxiety scale. Among the control and intervention groups to assess psychological effects of the program. Responses on the pain scale will assess physiological effects, and responses on the open-ended questions will identify patient-perceived benefits of the program

  2. difference in baseline and follow-up ProQOL scores (For Staff)

    Time frame: 1 year

    (Compassion Satisfaction score and Burnout score) to assess change in work satisfaction due to the program, and responses on the qualitative questions will address staff-perceived benefits of the program.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Caring Canines: Outcomes From an Animal Assisted Activity Program on Patients and Staff on an Inpatient Surgical Oncology Unit

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2017
First posted
Feb 16, 2015
Registry last updated
Jan 13, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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