Health & Physiology
The Pawsitive Effect of Therapy Dogs in a Hospital Emergency Department
Pain is the main reason people attend an emergency department. Our study examined the effect of a therapy dog visit on reducing patient pain in an ED. We found that pain improved after the dog visit compared to no change in control patients. Patient anxiety, depression, and well-being also improved. These findings help to establish the potential value of therapy dogs in an emergency setting.

Original Article:
Carey, B., Dell, C.A., Stempien, J., Tupper, S., Rohr, B., Carr, E., Cruz, M., Acoose, S., Butt, P., Broberg, L. and Collard, L. (2022). Outcomes of a controlled trial with visiting therapy dog teams on pain in adults in an emergency department. PloS one, 17(3), p.e0262599.Next read: How early-life adversity gets under the skin by Joanne Ryan
Edited by:
Sofia Spataro , Senior Scientific Editor
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