A USask research project that studied whether therapy dogs can help reduce stress for patients in hospital emergency departments is in its final stages.
That from professor Colleen Dell, Research Chair in One Health and Wellness, who says the preliminary study was done in 2019 and the in-person work at the Royal University Hospital Emergency Department for the second study finished just before the pandemic hit.
That meant being able to hunker down and go through the data when everything moved online.
Dell says the two studies had similar results.
There were clinically significant changes in depression, pain and well being.
Those who volunteered for a dog and handler visit were questioned beforehand, then immediately after and another 20 minutes after that.
Those who didn’t have a visit were questioned and then re-questioned a half hour later.
The next step is going through a peer review process with the hope of getting the research published.
Dell considers this latest project a solid base to look for funding for more in-depth study.
She says even though they know that the dogs can have a positive impact, it’s not scientifically known yet how or why it happens.