A Pilot Study to Examine the Impact of a Therapy Dog Intervention on Loneliness and Related Health Outcomes in Vulnerable Populations
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 72
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- Attrition rate
研究概览
简要总结
The purpose of this research study is to test whether an animal-assisted interaction (AAI) intervention is better than conversation with another person or treatment as usual for improving mood, anxiety, loneliness, quality of life, and indicators of health care services such as number of hospitalizations, length of hospital stay, and cost of services. Participants will be patients admitted for an inpatient stay at Virginia Commonwealth University Health who meet the study entry requirements.
详细描述
Participants will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to receive one of the following interventions:
- Animal-assisted interaction (a dog-handler team will visit them in their hospital room)
- Conversational interaction with just participants and the handler
- Treatment as usual (the regular services patients are currently receiving in the hospital)
Participation in this study will last six months. This includes the three days on which participants will receive one of the interventions described above, plus completing some questionnaires online or by phone one month and six months after the baseline visit. These questionnaires will ask questions about pet ownership, relationship with pets participants have had, loneliness, depression, anxiety, health-related quality of life, significant life events in the past year, and social supports. Approximately 180 individuals will participate in this study.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Basic Science
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •18 years of age or older
- •Projected to be admitted to the hospital for the upcoming four days
- •Speak English
- •Able to provide consent.
排除标准
- •Fear of, or allergy to, dogs
- •Documented contact precautions
- •Cognitive impairment that prevents consent or completion of measures.
结局指标
主要结局
Attrition rate
时间窗: 30 months
Number of participants who do not complete the full study
Number of participants enrolled
时间窗: 2 years
The number of eligible patients who sigh consent forms and are randomized to a condition
次要结局
- Change in loneliness(Baseline to 6 months)
- Change in anxiety(Baseline to 6 months)
- Change in depression(Baseline to 6 months)