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NCT Number: NCT06812247

Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) with dogs has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of patients with both acute and chronic illnesses, including spinal cord injuries, heart failure, myocardial infarctions, strokes, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Studies have also demonstrated that even in healthy adults, the presence of dogs is associated with physiologic changes such as increased pain threshold, decreased blood pressure, and decreased heart rate. However, few studies have investigated the role of AAT in the post-operative course in adults. This study will investigate the impact of therapy dog visits on pain and anxiety scores for trauma patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC).

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Key information

Conditions

Trauma Injury Accidental Injuries Anger Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Depression Mental Disorders Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

This study will be a randomized control design. Within 48 hours of admission, the study team will approach eligible patients admitted to the inpatient trauma service to discuss the study and obtain informed consent from patients expected to be admitted for 3-7 days. Consenting patients will be randomized to either a) participate in 2-3 ten-minute dog visits or b) receive 2-3 ten-minute visits with a handler alone. Within 24 hours after the last anticipated study visit, a member of the study team will administer a survey to assess participants' pain, depression, anxiety, mood, and emotional quality of life.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients admitted to the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TACS) service following a trauma
  • English or Spanish speaking
  • Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Fear of dogs, allergy to dogs
  • Immunocompromised
  • Contact precautions
  • Delirious, intubated, or otherwise unable to consent

Treatment and study plan

Therapy dog visits

Other

2-3 ten-minute visits by a trained therapy dog and the dog's handler

Dog handler visits

Other

2-3 ten-minute visits by a dog handler

Primary outcomes

  1. Participants' pain assessed with a numeric analog score

    Time frame: 24 hours after the last study visit

    The visual analog score ranges from 0 to 10 where 0= no pain and 10 worst pain (5= moderate pain).

  2. Participants' pain assessed with pictures of facial expressions

    Time frame: 24 hours after the last study visit

    The 6 facial pictorial expressions range from 0 to 10 where 0 is a face with a broad smile and 10 is a very sad face with tears.

  3. Depression assessed by the Brief Mood Survey

    Time frame: 24 hours after the last study visit

    There are 5 questions related to feeling depressed in the Brief Mood Survey with five potential responses of- 'Not at all', 'Somewhat', 'Moderately', 'A lot', and 'Extremely'. The range of scores for each of the 5 questions is 0 to 4, with a summed total score of 0 to 20 for the domain and higher scores are associated with feeling more depressed.

  4. Anxiety assessed by the Brief Mood Survey

    Time frame: 24 hours after the last study visit

    There are 5 questions related to feeling anxious in the Brief Mood Survey with five potential responses of- 'Not at all', 'Somewhat', 'Moderately', 'A lot', and 'Extremely'. The range of scores for each of the 5 questions is 0 to 4, with a summed total score of 0 to 20 for the domain, and higher scores are associated with feeling more anxious.

  5. Anger assessed by the Brief Mood Survey

    Time frame: 24 hours after the last study visit

    There are 5 questions related to feeling angry in the Brief Mood Survey with five potential responses of- 'Not at all', 'Somewhat', 'Moderately', 'A lot', and 'Extremely'. The range of scores for each of the 5 questions is 0 to 4, with a summed total score of 0 to 20 for the domain, and higher scores are associated with feeling more angry.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Emotional quality of life now

    Time frame: 24 hours after the last study visit

    The Emoqol-100 will be used to assess emotional quality of life. It is one question, 'How is your emotional quality of life now, with 100 being perfect and 0 being the worst imaginable?' Higher numbers are associated with a better quality of life.

Study contacts

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

Sabrina Sanchez, MD MPH

CONTACT

[email protected]

617 414 4861

Sara Myers, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

617 638 9191

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Boston Medical Center

Other

Collaborators

  • Boston Medical Center Healing Pups Program

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 6, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 16, 2026

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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