Effects of animal-assisted therapy on the health of patients after a stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN15325557

Enrollment

Registered

2018-05-31

Start date

2013-03-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2022-03-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Patients after stroke Circulatory System Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction

Interventions

Participants were randomly allocated into the control and experimental groups using envelopes. The experimental group experienced standard therapy supplemented with animal-assistance therapy (AAT), fa

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Patients who were expected to stay in the rehabilitation and physical medicine department for at least six weeks 2. Diagnosed with spasticity 3. Cognitive function above the dementia threshold 4. Do not suffer from any disease that may affect the excretion of cortisol and do not receive corticoids 5. All patients expressed the desire to have a dog present in their rehabilitation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Use of drugs to lower cortisol level

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Blood pressure and heart rate measured using a pressure gauge on the first day of the study, in the following six weeks on average two to three times a week, and then at the end of the study 2. Satisfaction evaluated using a questionnaire composed of statements responded by the respondent to the Likert scale, which makes it possible to ascertain not only the content of attitude but also its approximate strength (Likert, 1932; O'Neill, 2017). This is a 10-point scale, which demonstrates the client's mood that day. The clients in the experimental and control groups responded to the question "How do you feel today?" on a scale of one to ten, one marking the worst possible subjective variation, and ten points marking the maximum. Patients in the experimental group were asked at the start of therapy and after it was terminated, patients in the control group were interviewed twice a week on the same day with an hourly interval when the patient was in the normal hospital mode.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Blood pressure and heart rate measured using a pressure gauge on the first day of the study, in the following six weeks on average two to three times a week, and then at the end of the study 2. Satisfaction evaluated using a questionnaire composed of statements responded by the respondent to the Likert scale, which makes it possible to ascertain not only the content of attitude but also its approximate strength (Likert, 1932; O'Neill, 2017). This is a 10-point scale, which demonstrates the client's mood that day. The clients in the experimental and control groups responded to the question "How do you feel today?" on a scale of one to ten, one marking the worst possible subjective variation, and ten points marking the maximum. Patients in the experimental group were asked at the start of therapy and after it was terminated, patients in the control group were interviewed twice a week on the same day with an hourly interval when the patient was in the normal hospital mode.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Self-sufficiency involving self-service activities (dressing, hygiene), locomotive functions or stool or urine retention, evaluated using the Barthel Index (Mahoney & Barthel, 1965; Prodinger, O'Connor, Stucki, & Tennant, 2017) 2. Fall risk, evaluated using the Morse fall risk scale (Forrest, Chen, Huss, & Giesler, 1989; Morse, Morse, & Tylko, 1989) 3. Pressure sore risk, evaluated using the Norton scale score risk of decubitus (Chen, Zha, & Liu, 2017; Norton, McLaren, & Exton-Smith, 1962) The tests were selected on the basis of consultation with a rehabilitation physician who is also a professional consultant. Testing was carried out according to the standard procedure of the UCI. The tests were performed at the beginning of the six-week cycle of dog therapy and after it was completed.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Self-sufficiency involving self-service activities (dressing, hygiene), locomotive functions or stool or urine retention, evaluated using the Barthel Index (Mahoney & Barthel, 1965; Prodinger, O'Connor, Stucki, & Tennant, 2017) 2. Fall risk, evaluated using the Morse fall risk scale (Forrest, Chen, Huss, & Giesler, 1989; Morse, Morse, & Tylko, 1989) 3. Pressure sore risk, evaluated using the Norton scale score risk of decubitus (Chen, Zha, & Liu, 2017; Norton, McLaren, & Exton-Smith, 1962) The tests were selected on the basis of consultation with a rehabilitation physician who is also a professional consultant. Testing was carried out according to the standard procedure of the UCI. The tests were performed at the beginning of the six-week cycle of dog therapy and after it was completed.

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Countries

Czech Republic

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026