Man’s best friend may also be the doctor’s best friend as a study recently published suggests dogs can help reduce physical pain.
Within the study, published in the journal PLOS One, patients suffering from pain within an emergency room were given 10 minutes with a furry, four-legged friend.
More than 200 patients were included in the study. They were broken into two control groups and asked to rate their level of pain from one to ten.
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One control group received support from a therapy dog while the other group had no intervention, before being asked again to rate their level of pain.
Those who received visits from the dogs reported less pain, which will come as no surprise from dog lovers everywhere.
Lead study author Colleen Dell, professor at the University of Saskatchewan told CNN: “There is research showing that pets are an important part of our health in different ways.
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"They motivate us, they get us up, (give us) routines, the animal bond.”
The research has provided promising results in understanding the effects of therapy dogs on patients.
It's hoped the results will add to further discussions on how to better integrate them into the health care environment.
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Mike MacFadden, a nurse practitioner from Canada, believes incorporating therapy dogs should contribute to a more holistic approach to treating patients in an emergency room.
He said: “Emergency service teams can feel conflicted and experience moral distress resulting from their inability to meet their own expectations for optimal care.
With people's experience of pain being multifaceted, we know that a multifaceted approach is most beneficial to meet the needs of patients”
He added: “The presence of a therapy dog not only has the benefits of supporting the patient's experience, but I think it also serves as a comfort to the care providers."
Topics: Dogs
Jayden Collins