Canine-Assisted Therapy Improves Well-Being in Nurses

Kristýna Machová, Michaela Součková, Radka Procházková, Zdislava Vaníčková and Kamal Mezian
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Kristýna Machová: Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources Czech University of Life Sciences, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic
Michaela Součková: Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources Czech University of Life Sciences, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic
Radka Procházková: Department of Statistics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic
Zdislava Vaníčková: Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine, 12808 Prague, Czech Republic
Kamal Mezian: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine, 12108 Prague, Czech Republic

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: As nursing is one of the most stressful occupations worldwide, its management warrants more attention to identify possible ways to cope with its pressures. This study aims to evaluate whether animal-assisted therapy (AAT) with the presence of a dog affects the stress level of nurses. As a stress biomarker, we used salivary cortisol level testing. Twenty female nurses (mean age: 30) in physical medicine (PMR) ( n = 11) and the department of internal medicine and long-term care (IM < C) ( n = 9). On each of the three observed days, saliva was collected at 10 a.m. and then again after 50 min. The first sampling was performed during a normal working process without a break (Condition A), the second was carried out during a normal working process with a break of choice (Condition B), and the third sampling was performed during a normal working process with a break with AAT (Condition C). All participants were enrolled in all three interventional conditions in a randomized order. The results demonstrated the effect of a reduction of cortisol levels in Condition C, where AAT was included ( p = 0.02) only in nurses recruited from the IM < C department. By way of explanation, nurses from the PMR department already showed low cortisol levels at baseline. We propose including AAT with a dog in healthcare facilities where nurses are at a high risk of stress.

Keywords: Healthcare providers; animal-assisted therapy; dog-assisted therapy; stress; cortisol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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