According to literature from the past decade, pet therapy has been proven to be beneficial to patients in intensive care settings, pediatrics, spinal cord injury units, and elderly, resulting in feeling comforted, connected, more calm, and more satisfied. However, there has been an absence of research on the effects of pet visits on nurses and volunteer-handlers. Since pet therapy is part of a therapeutic healing environment for patients and for staff, this research investigation will examine the effect pet therapy may have on patients, nurses, and the volunteer-handlers in terms of creating of a healing environment for all.

The Science of Unitary Humans provides a conceptual framework to guide this investigation. Rogers describes all living matter as an energy field. An energy field consists of the body, mind, emotions and intuition. Each individual field is manifested by pattern. The human field and the environmental field are dynamic and in continuous interaction. Changes in one field have a reciprocal and integrative impact on the other. Therefore when an animal is introduced into the patient experience it is anticipated that there will be an interaction and all involved in the experience will respond to it. 
 
The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of pet therapy on patients, the volunteer-handlers, and the nurses when involved in a pet therapy program. The study will investigate changes in patients’, nurses’, and volunteer-handlers’ pulse, blood pressure, psychological distress, pain perception and energy perception before and after a pet therapy encounter across patient populations and clinical settings.
 
A convenience sample of patients, selected for participation in a pet therapy program at a major teaching hospital, as well as nurses and volunteer-handlers from three different units who meet inclusion criteria, will be invited to participate in the study. To accomplish the research goals, a sample size of 64 patient participants will be needed.
 
This investigation will occur on three inpatient units at a major teaching hospital where there is an established pet therapy program.  The first unit is a 27-bed general medical unit serving a primarily geriatric patient population.  The second unit is a 36-bed general surgical unit serving patients recovering from major general surgical procedures or trauma. The third unit is a 27-bed surgical unit serving patients recovering from vascular surgery.

This study will describe the effects of a pet therapy program on patients, volunteer-handlers and nurses across 3 clinical settings using mixed methods. Blood pressure, pulse, perceptions of energy and pain, and psychological distress will be collected from all subjects. Tests of significance will be used to analyze the data. Qualitative data will be elicited using open-ended questions to elicit the responses of nurses, patients and volunteer/handlers following the pet therapy encounter. This data will be subjected to content analysis. 
 
This investigation will provide information about the effects of a pet therapy program on patients, nurses and volunteer-handlers.  This information will be useful to nurses and health care administrators as they design programs that are cost effective, patient satisfiers and have therapeutic clinical importance.

Principal Investigator: Amanda Bulette Coakley RN, PhD

Funding: Partial funding was awarded by the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at MGH.