RecruitingRecruiting
Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries
NCT06812247 · Boston Medical Center
In plain English
Click the button to translate this study into plain language — what it is, who qualifies, and what participation looks like.
About this study
This study will be a randomized control design. Within 48 hours of admission, the study team will approach eligible patients admitted to the inpatient trauma service to discuss the study and obtain informed consent from patients expected to be admitted for 3-7 days. Consenting patients will be randomized to either a) participate in 2-3 ten-minute dog visits or b) receive 2-3 ten-minute visits with a handler alone. Within 24 hours after the last anticipated study visit, a member of the study team will administer a survey to assess participants' pain, depression, anxiety, mood, and emotional quality of life.
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
* Patients admitted to the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TACS) service following a trauma
* English or Spanish speaking
* Able to provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
* Fear of dogs, allergy to dogs
* Immunocompromised
* Contact precautions
* Delirious, intubated, or otherwise unable to consent
Study design
Enrollment target: 80 participants
Allocation: randomized
Masking: none
Age groups: adult, older_adult
Timeline
Starts: 2025-06-04
Estimated completion: 2026-06
Last updated: 2025-06-06
Interventions
Other: Therapy dog visitsOther: Dog handler visits
Primary outcomes
- • Participants' pain assessed with a numeric analog score (24 hours after the last study visit)
- • Participants' pain assessed with pictures of facial expressions (24 hours after the last study visit)
- • Depression assessed by the Brief Mood Survey (24 hours after the last study visit)
Sponsor
Boston Medical Center · other
With: Boston Medical Center Healing Pups Program
Contacts & investigators
ContactSabrina Sanchez, MD MPH · contact · sabrina.sanchez@bmc.org · 617 414 4861
ContactSara Myers, MD · contact · sara.myers@bmc.org · 617 638 9191
InvestigatorSabrina Sanchez, MD MPH · principal_investigator, Boston Medical Center
All locations (1)
Boston Medical Center, Trauma Inpatient ServiceRecruiting
Boston, Massachusetts, United States