The Impact Of Pet Therapy On Long-Term Care Patients

In a level 4 evidence-based review, researchers examined literature related to the impact of pet therapy on long-term care patients. The purpose was to determine if dog-assisted therapy had a positive impact on quality of life. Sixty-one related studies were found with nineteen only been selected to be analyzed by McMaster’s Critical Review Form—Quantitative Studies (Cipriani, et al., 2013). To limit bias, each researcher read the literature individually, then was reviewed in a group to reach the same consensus. The results shown that twelve of the nineteen studies had statistically significant improvements in quality of life. The researchers stated the gaps in the research include a need for more RCTs with larger samples, equal distribution with genders, and the need of more scales to measure quality of life. They concluded that further research should be conducted to better validate and verify the phenomena. It would also be beneficial to determine other factors (Cipriani, et al., 2013).

Methods …show more content…
The aim of the study is to determine if pet therapy improves quality of life in long-term residents through the observations of registered nurses. Questions will be formed to best evaluate quality of life impact, using components of the Quality of Life Scale, that assess physical/mental well-being, socialization, relationships, and sense of fulfillment (Burckhardt & Anderson, 2003). Some of questions to be asked will regard if pets visit or live in the facility, if residents interact with pet daily, and if the pet initiates social engagements amongst residents. Other questions would