Therapy dogs have long been known to brighten the moods of patients in hospitals. But could these furry four-legged friends help support the health care providers who care for patients? A new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, College of Medicine and College of Nursing proves the mood-boosting benefits of Buckeye Paws, a therapy dog program that many health care workers say helps reduce emotional exhaustion and improve work engagement. Their pilot study found that self-reported positive mood nearly doubled among the health care workers who engaged with highly trained dog-handler teams in the Buckeye Paws program.
The 64 study participants included physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners , respiratory therapists, rehabilitation therapists, patient care associates and unit clerks in two intensive care units and two medical surgical units. All the handlers for this study were hospital employees who volunteered their time with seven certified therapy dogs to provide the animal-assisted intervention three times a week for eight weeks. The study evaluated the acceptability and impact of an animal-assisted activity using therapy dogs on health care worker stress, burnout, work engagement and mood.
"There was free interaction with the dogs that people could spend as much or as little time as they wanted with the dogs. Prior to their interactions, we asked them to fill out a basic one to 10 mood scale. And then, after the interaction, they did tha.