Use of animal-assisted interventions in relieving pain in healthcare settings: A systematic review

Therapeutic interaction with animals for patients coping with physical and mental health conditions is a growing interest among healthcare providers and researchers. We aimed to comprehensively summarize and evaluate the current state of evidence examining the use of animal-assisted interventions [A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Complementary therapies in clinical practice 2022-02, Vol.46, p.101519-101519, Article 101519
Main Authors: Stensland, Meredith L., McGeary, Don D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal assisted therapy
Animal-assisted interventions
Animals
Clinical trials
Coping
Delivery of Health Care
Health Facilities
Health Personnel
Health status
Hospitals
Humans
Intervention
Measurement
Mental health
Non-pharmacological
Pain
Pain management
Pain Measurement
Systematic review
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Summary:Therapeutic interaction with animals for patients coping with physical and mental health conditions is a growing interest among healthcare providers and researchers. We aimed to comprehensively summarize and evaluate the current state of evidence examining the use of animal-assisted interventions [AAI] for pain relief in healthcare settings. Systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement. Two researchers independently assessed publications dated before February 5, 2021 in OVID Medline, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases, and used the Delphi list to evaluate the quality of the evidence. Of the 109 studies screened, a total of 24 studies totaling 1,950 participants were ultimately included. Studies varied in design, including single group trials (8), controlled trials with at least two groups (6), and randomized controlled trials (10). The most common form of pain measurement was the visual or numeric rating scale. For the 18 studies that reported data on changes in pain severity from pre-to-post-test, 13 reported a significant reduction; using the converted common metric we created, these reductions ranged from 0.20 to 3.33 points on a 10-point numeric rating scale. AAI may be considered a promising approach in need of further, more rigorous research. Available evidence supporting AAI remains weak due to issues of study quality and design, thereby impeding our ability to draw reliable conclusions on the utility of AAI in relieving pain. Given the rapidly increasing availability of these interventions in hospitals, it is important to better understand its effectiveness. •Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) are used in healthcare settings for pain.•This systematic review found AAI are diverse in format, frequency, and duration.•Studies on AAI have most commonly used a visual or numeric rating to assess pain.•Evidence for pain relief is weak and limits our ability to draw firm conclusions.•AAI efficacy is a fruitful area of research in need of more rigorous design and methods.
ISSN:1744-3881
1873-6947
DOI:10.1016/j.ctcp.2021.101519