P021: A ‘Pawsitive’ addition to the ER patient experience: A pilot evaluation of the St. John Ambulance therapy dog program in a Canadian hospital

Abstract

measured using protocol failure (presentation to ED within 48 hours of appropriate diversion) and patient morbidity rates (hospital admission within 48 hours of diversion). Data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using proportions. Results: EMS responded to 695 calls with psychiatric complaints. Of the 650 taken directly to the ED, 18 met diversion criteria; these were missed protocol opportunities (3%). 45 patients were diverted. There was protocol noncompliance in 36 cases (80%), but 34 were due to incomplete recording of vital signs. There were direct protocol violations in only 2 cases (4%). There was protocol failure in 3 cases (33%), and patient morbidity in 8 cases (18%). No patients died within 48 hours of diversion. Conclusion: EMS providers were highly compliant with the protocol when transporting patients directly to the ED. There were high levels of protocol noncompliance in diverting patients to CI, though this is largely attributed to incomplete recording of vital signs; direct protocol violations were low. The protocol provides moderate levels of safety in diverted patients. Broader implementation of a diversion protocol could reduce the volume of mental health patients seen in the ED, and improve quality of care received by this patient population.

Developing and Planning a Protocol for Implementing Health Promoting Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) in a Tertiary Health Setting

“…A recent concept, that of ‘One Welfare’, emphasizes connections between human wellbeing, animal welfare, and the environment [ 8 ]. Multidisciplinary professionals across human and animal fields can work together to achieve common goals, thereby improving human and animal wellbeing [ 9 , 10 ]. This paper outlines a research project protocol for systematic animal-inclusive AAI in a tertiary acute hospital setting.…”

“…Studies exploring the impacts of AAI have shown that the presence of an animal can have a calming effect on some people, such as lowering blood pressure and heart rates [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Other research has demonstrated that AAI can improve the mental and emotional health of individuals in hospital settings as well as impact on the wellbeing of surrounding companions of patients and hospital staff [ 9 , 10 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. However, the usefulness reported varies, which needs to be considered and addressed [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], and the impact on the non-human animal needs to be considered too [ 4 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Pups Assisting Wellness for Staff (P.A.W.S.): Evaluating the impact of canine-assisted interventions on critical care staff wellness

“…Canine-assisted interventions supporting patients have been successfully introduced into the Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) settings to reduce patient stress and support recovery. 2,3 A study of attitudes towards therapy dogs in acute care demonstrated a high percentage of both patient and staff acceptance of therapy dogs in the ED. 4 However, there are few examples of therapy dog initiatives for acute care staff.…”