When we think of therapy dogs, we usually picture these furry companions offering comfort to patients in hospitals. But what if these four-legged friends could also provide emotional support to the very people who take care of those patients – our health care providers?
In a fascinating new study, this concept has proven to be more than plausible. The results reveal the surprisingly positive effects of Buckeye Paws, a therapy dog program that health care workers say helps reduce emotional exhaustion and boosts their work engagement.
Buckeye Paws program
For those who might not know, the Buckeye Paws program involves engaging health care workers with highly trained dog-handler teams.
The program was part of a pilot study involving 64 participants across a range of health care services.
The health care workers included physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, rehabilitation therapists, and unit clerks in two intensive care units and two medical surgical units.
The handlers in this study were all hospital employees who volunteered their time with seven certified therapy dogs to offer this unique intervention thrice a week over eight weeks.
Work stress, mood, and therapy dogs
The study, led by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, evaluated the effect of animal-assisted activity on healthcare worker stress, burnout, work engagement, and mood.
“There was free interaction with the dogs that people could spend as much or as little time as they wanted with the dogs. Prior to their interactions, we asked them to fill out a basic one to 10 mood scale. And then, after the interaction, they did that again,” explained Dr. Beth Steinberg, principal investigator of the study.
The researchers found that the positive mood self-reported by the health care workers nearly doubled when they engaged with the Buckeye Paws program.
Impact of animal-assisted therapy
Buckeye Paws was launched in March 2020, right before the pandemic hit. As the program grew, the Ohio State team set out to measure its impact.
Dr. Steinberg co-founded Buckeye Paws with Mary Justice, chief administrative officer in Ohio State’s College of Nursing. Steinberg noted how easy it was to recruit participants for the program.
“The recruitment for this study was incredibly easy because as soon as you said, ‘We’re going to do a study assessing your response to therapy dog interaction,’ people were like, ‘I’m in!’”
Dog interactions with staff
Dr. Steinberg takes rounds on the hospital floors with her yellow labrador retriever Brienne, while Justice visits staff with her English cream golden retriever Shiloh.
Although these interactions with staff are often brief, just a few minutes at a time, they seem to leave a big impact on the healthcare workers. Many study participants reported an immediate decrease in perceived stress, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and burnout.
“We brought the dogs to the units and many times we had staff in tears sitting with the dogs, telling them about their day,” said Dr. Steinberg.
Future of therapy dog programs
With national concerns about physician and nursing shortages, a program like this could significantly improve workplace satisfaction and retention.
“For the most part, people have an affinity to a non-judgmental, warm, furry animal that can come and just sit with them and listen. Dogs don’t care what you look like, how you’re feeling that day; they just know that when you need them, they’re there,” said Dr. Steinberg.
Due to the program’s success, Buckeye Paws expanded in March 2022 to offer therapy dog assistance to students, faculty and staff of The Ohio State University.
There are now 29 dog-handler teams in the program, with additional teams on-boarding and more gearing up to begin the process.
Therapy dogs and healthcare
Program manager Aimee Mitchell noted that dog-handler teams must pass basic and advanced obedience training.
The handlers must also earn the Canine Good Citizenship certification from the American Kennel Club, and be certified by a national therapy dog organization, said Mitchell.
The future looks bright for the intersection of therapy dogs and healthcare providers. This research has already inspired the launch of a similar program at a hospital system in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The study is published in the International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine.
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