RECRUITING

Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) with dogs has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of patients with both acute and chronic illnesses, including spinal cord injuries, heart failure, myocardial infarctions, strokes, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Studies have also demonstrated that even in healthy adults, the presence of dogs is associated with physiologic changes such as increased pain threshold, decreased blood pressure, and decreased heart rate. However, few studies have investigated the role of AAT in the post-operative course in adults. This study will investigate the impact of therapy dog visits on pain and anxiety scores for trauma patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC).

Official Title

Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries

Quick Facts

Study Start:2025-06-04
Study Completion:2026-06
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT06812247

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:18 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:No
Standard Ages:ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. * Patients admitted to the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TACS) service following a trauma
  2. * English or Spanish speaking
  3. * Able to provide informed consent
  1. * Fear of dogs, allergy to dogs
  2. * Immunocompromised
  3. * Contact precautions
  4. * Delirious, intubated, or otherwise unable to consent

Contacts and Locations

Study Contact

Sabrina Sanchez, MD MPH
CONTACT
617 414 4861
sabrina.sanchez@bmc.org
Sara Myers, MD
CONTACT
617 638 9191
sara.myers@bmc.org

Principal Investigator

Sabrina Sanchez, MD MPH
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Boston Medical Center

Study Locations (Sites)

Boston Medical Center, Trauma Inpatient Service
Boston, Massachusetts, 02118
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: Boston Medical Center

  • Sabrina Sanchez, MD MPH, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Boston Medical Center

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2025-06-04
Study Completion Date2026-06

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2025-06-04
Study Completion Date2026-06

Terms related to this study

Keywords Provided by Researchers

  • Therapy dogs
  • Healing pups
  • Animal assisted therapy (AAT)
  • Traumatic injuries recovery

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • Trauma Injury
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Anger
  • Pain