Anxiety Acute, Chronic Pain
Conditions
Brief summary
Prior literature demonstrates that human stress can be reduced with exposure to animals. This study challenges current dogma by introducing a widely available, low cost method of dog therapy to reduce patient and provider stress. The objectives of this study are to determine if interaction with a certified therapy dog and handler can; * decrease reported anxiety levels in emergency department (ED) patients, * decrease salivary cortisol in ED patients, * decrease total morphine equivalent dosing in the emergency department or at discharge and/or, * decrease reported stress levels in emergency department providers caring for participating patients when compared to usual care.
Interventions
OTHERControl
Control
OTHERDog Therapy
Exposure to certified therapy dogs and their handler.
Sponsors
Healthcare Initiatives, Inc.
Indiana University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Patients * Age 18-89 years * Chronic pain, defined as pain on most days for \>6 weeks * Triage pain score \>6 out of 10 OR * Age 18-89 years * Currently experience crisis, including suicidality, or * Meet the standard of a provider assessment of severe stress defined by their identification that the patient meets a score of greater than six on the FACES stress scale Providers • Faculty, residents, advanced practitioners, and nurses who work in the ED and identify themselves as being the nurse or physician of record for the enrolled patients. Therapy Dog Handlers • Handler of a certified therapy dog and volunteer of Eskenazi's Therapy Dog Program
Exclusion criteria
Patients * Violent behavior * Overt intoxication * Non-English speaking * Any reported prior fear or adverse reaction to dogs Providers • Any reported prior fear or adverse reaction to dogs Therapy Dog Handlers • None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in salivary cortisol in ED patients with chronic pain | Baseline and T1 (~45 minutes after baseline) | Change in salivary cortisol levels in emergency department patients between baseline and T1 |
| Morphine equivalent narcotic administration in emergency department patients with chronic pain | Date of enrollment until emergency department discharge, up to 72 hours | Total morphine equivalent narcotic administration while in the emergency department or as a discharge prescription will be recorded for enrolled patients. |
| Change in reported stress levels in ED patients with chronic pain using Wong-Baker FACES Scale (10 = worst) | Baseline and T1 (~45 minutes after baseline) | Change in self reported stress levels of emergency department patients using a Wong-Baker FACES Scale for anxiety between baseline and T1 |
| Change in salivary cortisol in ED patients with emotional crisis | Baseline and T1 (~45 minutes after baseline) | Change in salivary cortisol levels in emergency department patients between baseline and T1 |
| Number of narcotic, sedative and/or neuroleptic doses administered in ED patients with emotional crisis | Date of enrollment until emergency department discharge, up to 72 hours | Number of narcotic, sedative and/or neuroleptic doses administered in ED patients with emotional crisis |
| Change in reported stress levels in ED patients with emotional crisis using Wong-Baker FACES Scale (10 = worst) | Baseline and T1 (~45 minutes after baseline) | Change in self reported stress levels of emergency department patients using a Wong-Baker FACES Scale for anxiety between baseline and T1 |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in salivary cortisol levels in emergency department patients | Baseline and T1 (~45 minutes after baseline) | Change in salivary cortisol levels in emergency department patients between baseline and T1 |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed