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NCT Number: NCT06121050

Can a Patient in Intensive Care be Visited by His or Her Pet?

Nearly half of all intensive care patients describe symptoms of anxiety and depression after a stay in the ICU, and one in five has genuine post-traumatic stress disorder.

As a result, improving patient experience has become a priority in the ICU, and particular attention is being paid to the need to recreate a familiar environment.

Animal-mediated interventions have been developed for a number of patients over many years. These strategies are widely used with elderly patients, and patients with cognitive or psychiatric disorders, for whom the literature shows benefits on anxiety, mood or objective signs of stress.

In the vast majority of experiments carried out to date, the animals (mainly dogs) were prepared and educated for contact with patients, and their handlers trained in this activity, rather like guide dogs. Visiting a care facility with a patient's own pet is rarely described. It may run up against obstacles related to the animal's behavior or infectious risks, but it is nevertheless authorized in many establishments.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Intensive Care Patients

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Centre Hospitalier Ardèche Nord, Annonay, France

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Conscious adult patients with a pet (dog/cat).
  • Patients with no or no longer hemodynamic or respiratory failure, or undergoing rehabilitation, after resolution of the acute phase or at the end of life.
  • Patients affiliated to or entitled under a social security scheme.
  • Patient who has given written informed consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

  • Non-stabilized acute situation (as assessed by the resuscitator).
  • Mechanical or amine ventilation or extrarenal purification.
  • Tracheostomy.
  • Immunosuppression.
  • Carriage of multi-resistant bacteria.
  • Behavioral or consciousness disorders.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Skin wounds, extensive burns exceeding 15% of body surface area, external fixator.
  • Guardianship or trusteeship.
  • Workload incompatible with the visit
  • Patient unable to speak French.

Treatment and study plan

Pet visit

Other

Intensive care patients visited by their pets for 20 minutes

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility of visiting the pets

    Time frame: Day 15

    The feasibility of visiting the pets of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit will be measured by the proportion of patients included in the study for whom at least one visit with their pet was possible. A visit will be considered to have taken place as soon as the patient has had contact with his or her pet.

Secondary outcomes

  1. PANAS

    Time frame: Day 1

    The impact of the animal's visit on the patient's mood will be assessed by variations in the scale Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). This self-report scale measures positive (PA) and negative (NA) affect, and is made up of 20 items, 10 of which assess PA and 10 of which assess NA. Each item refers to an adjective, and responses are classified on a 5-point Likert scale, according to how the person felt about the emotion described by the adjective. For each patient, the variation in AP and NA is calculated as follows: (score after visit-score before visit)/score before visit.

  2. Paramedical care

    Time frame: Day 1

    The evaluation of the paramedical care load will be assessed by 2 quantitative indicators:

    • The number of paramedical caregivers mobilized for the reception and care of the pet.
    • The time spent by each member of staff on receiving and caring for the pet, in minutes.

  3. Patient microbiological impact

    Time frame: Day 1

    Search for multi-resistant bacteria on rectal and nasal swabs taken from patients on a routine weekly basis (Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, ESBL-producing Enterobacteria, Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteria).

    Stool analysis, in particular for Clostridium Difficile and Salmonella, and bacterial and parasitic research by multiplex PCR.

  4. Intensive care unity microbiological impact

    Time frame: Day 1

    Surface samples will be taken in conjunction with the operational hygiene team before and after the animal visit, in the room where the visit takes place, in the room of each patient included after discharge, and in the care areas of the intensive care unit. These samples will focus on bacteria, fungi and parasites.

  5. Patient satisfaction

    Time frame: 3 months

    Satisfaction survey

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Cindy POKRANDT

CONTACT

[email protected]

Guillaume THIERY, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

0477127862 ext. 33

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Can a Patient in Intensive Care be Visited by His or Her Pet? Feasibility Study.

Acronym: ACCOMPAGNE

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Nov 7, 2023
Registry last updated
Jul 9, 2025

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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