Background
Aim
Method
Search methods for identification of studies
Dog OR canine
| |
AND | |
Animal-assist* OR Dog-assist* OR Pet-assist* OR Canine-assist* OR animal-therap* OR dog-therap* OR pet-therap* OR canine-therap* OR “animal visitation” OR “dog visitation” OR “pet visitation” OR “canine visitation” OR animal-physiotherap* OR dog-physiotherap* OR pet-physiotherap* OR canine-physiotherap* OR therapy-dog OR visiting-dog
| |
AND | |
Effect OR effectiveness OR benefit OR quality of life OR economics OR cost-effectiveness OR ethics OR outcome
|
Selection of studies
-
Studies of DAI performed in healthcare settings including nursing homes and home care.
-
Studies collecting primary data.
-
Quantitative studies (i.e. measuring outcomes with numerical scales).
-
Separate result presentation of effects.
-
At least 20 study subjects.
-
Existence of a control.
-
Published articles from peer-reviewed journals with full text in English.
Review of quality
Categorization
DAT | DAA | DAS | |
---|---|---|---|
Intervention | |||
Aim of action | Goal orientated | No specific goals | No specific goals |
Content of activity | Structured | Spontaneous | Spontaneous |
Amount of activity | Multiple sessions | Multiple sessions | Single session |
Treatment integration | High | Low | High |
Dog handler/therapist | Educated | Volunteer | Volunteer |
Professional | Not professional | Semi-professional | |
Effect/Focus | Health | Well-being | Distraction Stress reduction |
Results
Results of the search
First author (year) | Patients | Study design | Sessions | Intervention | Control | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Mean age (years) | Gender (% male) | Target group | Duration (weeks) | Number | Length (minutes) | ||||
Lutwack-Bloom (2005) [38] | 68 | 69.9 | 41.8 | Residents living in long-term care setting | Pre-post | 24 | 72 | 15–20 | Visit from a therapy dog | Visit without dog |
Majic (2013) [39] | 54 | 81.7 | 29.6 | Residents with dementia | Pre-post | 10 | 10 | 45 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Travers (2013) [40] | 55 | 85 | 21.8 | Residents with dementia | Randomized control | 11 | 22 | 40–50 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Bono (2015) [41] | 24 | 82.1 | 33.3 | Non-hospitalized patients with low-mild Alzheimer’s disease | Randomized control | 32 | 16 | 60 | Dog assisted therapy | No active intervention |
Friedmann (2015) [42] | 40 | 80.7 | 27.5 | Assisted living residents with cognitive impairment/Dementia | Randomized control | 12 | 24 | 60–90 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Olsen (2016) [43] | 51 | Experimental 82.9 Control 84.1 | 37.3 | Residents with dementia | Randomized control | 12 | 24 | 30 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Thodberg (2016) [44] | 100 | 85.5 | 31 | Nursing home residents/Dementia | Randomized control | 6 | 12 | 10 | Visit from a therapy dog | Visits from a person bringing a robot seal or soft toy cat |
Schuck (2015) [45] | 24 | Experimental 7.99 Control 7.81 | 83.3 | Children with ADHD | Randomized control | 12 | 24 | 120–150 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Stefanini (2015) [46] | 34 | 15.9 | 52.9 | Children with mental disorders | Randomized control | 12 | 12 | 45 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Calvo (2016) [47] | 22 | 47.8 | 70.8 | Patients with schizophrenia | Randomized control | 24 | 40 | 60 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Stefanini (2016) [48] | 40 | Experimental 15.2 Control 16.4 | 45 | Children with mental disorders | Randomized control | 12 | 10 | 45 | Dog assisted therapy | Regular therapy |
Nagengast (1997) [49] | 23 | 4.7 | 39.1 | Children undergoing physical examination | Within-subject, time series design | ⎼ | 2 | 10 | Dog present during physical examination | Physical examination without dog |
Hansen (1999) [50] | 34 | Experimental 4.1 Control 3.5 | 41.2 | Children undergoing physical examination | Randomized control | ⎼ | 1 | ⎼ | Dog present during physical examination | Physical examination without dog |
Havener (2001) [51] | 40 | 8.36 | 42.5 | Children undergoing dental procedures | Randomized control | ⎼ | 1 | ⎼ | Dog present during dental procedure | Dental procedure without dog |
Johnson (2008) [52] | 30 | Dog visits 61 Human visits 59 Reading 58 | 30 | Patients undergoing non-palliative radiation therapy | Randomized control | 4 | 12 | 15 | Visit from a therapy dog | Visit without dog or reading sessions |
Vagnoli (2015) [53] | 50 | Experimental 7.1 Control 7.38 | 48 | Children undergoing venipuncture | Randomized control | ⎼ | 1 | 10–15 | Dog present during venipuncture | Venipuncture without dog |
Krause-Parello (2016) [54] | 28 | 82.9 | 42.9 | Older adults | Crossover | ⎼ | 2 | 60 | Visit from a therapy dog | Visit without dog |
Harper (2015) [55] | 72 | Experimental 67 Control 66 | 41.7 | Patients undergone total joint arthroplasty | Randomized control | ⎼ | 3 | 15 | Physical therapy with a therapy dog | Physical therapy |
First author (year) | Condition | Intervention | Outcomes of DAI | Author’s conclusion |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lutwack-Bloom (2005) [38] | Cognitive disorders | Activating | ⎼Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) ↑Profile of Mood States (POMS) | The results suggest that the findings indicated that the intervention works better with general mood disorders than with depression alone. |
Majic (2013) [39] | Cognitive disorders | Activating | ⎼Dementia Mood Assessment Scale (DMAS) ⎼Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ⎼Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) | AAT is a promising option for the treatment of agitation/aggression and depression in patients with dementia. |
Travers (2013) [40] | Cognitive disorders | Activating | ↑↓Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease (QOL-AD)a
⎼The MOS-Item short form health survey (SF-36) ⎼Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF) ↑Multidimensional Observational Scale for Elderly Subjects (MOSES)b
| The authors conclude that the study provides some evidence that dog-assisted therapy may be beneficial for some residents of aged care facilities with dementia. |
Bono (2015) [41] | Cognitive disorders | Activating | ↑Barthel Index ↑Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) ↓Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) | The study confirms the feasibility of AAT with dogs in low-mild Alzheimer’s disease |
Friedmann (2015) [42] | Cognitive disorders | Activating | ⎼Barthel Index - Physical function ↑Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) ⎼AES – Emotional function ⎼Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) | Evidence supports that the PAL program helps preserve/enhance function of AL residents with CI. |
Olsen (2016) [43] | Cognitive disorders | Activating | ↑Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) ⎼Brief Agitation Rating Scale (BARS) ↑Quality of Life in Late-stage Dementia (QUALID)c
| Animal-assisted activities may have a positive effect on depression and QoL in older people with dementia. |
Thodberg (2016) [44] | Cognitive disorders | Activating | ⎼Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ⎼Gottfried-Brane-Steen scale (GBS) ⎼Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) ⎼Sleep data ⎼Body Mass Index (BMI) | Visit type did not affect the long-term mental state of the patients. The relationship between sleep duration and dog-accompanied visits remains to be explored. |
Schuck (2015) [45] | Psychiatric disorders | Therapeutic | ↑ADHD-Rating Scale-Fourth edition (ADHD-RS-IV) ↑Social Skills Improvement Systems-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS) ↑Social Competence Inventory (SCI) | Results suggest that CAI offers a novel therapeutic strategy that may enhance cognitive-behavioral interventions for children with ADHD. |
Stefanini (2015) [46] | Psychiatric disorders | Therapeutic | ↑Children Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) ↑Format of hospital care scale ↑Ordinary school attendance scale ↑Patients behaviors during AAT | Our results verify that AAT can have significant positive effects on therapeutic progress and the recovery process. |
Calvo (2016) [47] | Psychiatric disorders | Therapeutic | ⎼Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) ⎼EQ-5D – Quality of life ↑Adherence to Treatment ↑ Decrease in saliva cortisol | The results suggest that AAT could be a useful adjunct to conventional psychosocial rehabilitation for people with schizophrenia. |
Stefanini (2016) [48] | Psychiatric disorders | Therapeutic | ↑Children Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) ↑Youth Self Report (YSR) ↑Patients behaviors during AATd
| The effects of AAT in reducing emotional and behavioral symptoms and increasing global competence and psychological functioning were substantiated. |
Nagengast (1997) [49] | Stress and mood | Supportive | ↑Systolic blood pressure ⎼Diastolic blood pressure ↑Mean arterial blood pressure ↑Heart rate ⎼Peripheral skin temperature ↑Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD) | The findings support the use of a companion animal in reducing stress experienced by children during physical examination. |
Hansen (1999) [50] | Stress and mood | Supportive | ⎼Systolic blood pressure ⎼Diastolic blood pressure ⎼Mean arterial blood pressure ⎼Heart rate ⎼Peripheral skin temperature ↑Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD) | Companion animals may be useful in a variety of health care settings to decrease procedure-induced distress in children. |
Havener (2001) [51] | Stress and mood | Supportive | ⎼Peripheral skin temperature ⎼Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD) | The authors conclude that further research using a larger sample should be done to determinate the effect of a companion animal with children for whom the dental visit is most stressful. |
Johnson (2008) [52] | Stress and mood | Activity | ⎼Profile of Mood states (POMS) ⎼Self-perceived health questionnaire ⎼Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OTLQ) | The study warrants replication with a larger sample to determine applicability of animal-assisted activity in cancer patients with radiation therapy. |
Vagnoli (2015) [53] | Stress and mood | Supportive | ↑Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD) ⎼The Wong-Baker Scale (Face scale) ⎼Visual analog scale (VAS) - pain ⎼State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) ↑Serum cortisol plasma | The presence of dogs during venipuncture reduces distress in children and improves physical, social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. |
Krause-Parello (2016) [54] | Stress and mood | Activity | ↑Systolic blood pressure ⎼Diastolic blood pressure ↑Heart rate | Study findings supported that pet therapy significant decreased blood pressure and heart rate. |
Harper (2015) [55] | Pain | Supportive | ↑Visual analog scale (VAS) - pain Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey (HCAHPS)e
| The use of therapy dogs has a positive effect on patients’ pain level and satisfaction with hospital stay after total joint replacement. |
Included studies
Studied patients
Studied disorders
Studied controls
Outcomes
Condition | Therapeutic intervention | Activating intervention | Supportive intervention | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
At least one significant positive outcome | ||||||
Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
Cognitive disorder | 6 | 1 | ||||
Psychiatric disorder | 4 | |||||
Stress and mood | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||
Pain | 1 |