Dog-Assisted Therapy in Children During Blood or Dental Extraction.
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Animal Assisted Therapy.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Emotional Stress. Basic parameters: 3 years — 12 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Spain
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Efficacy Study of Dog-Assisted Therapy in Children During Blood or Dental Extraction: Extra-can Project
Overview
The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) during blood extraction or dental procedures in a Primary Care Pediatric Service. Determine the improvement in facilitating the task of venipuncture or dental extraction for nursing or dental professionals. Estimate the reduction in the child's emotional stress during these procedures with the support of a therapy dog. Evaluate the emotional stress in the accompanying family member. These objectives will be accomplished through a randomized open label two-arm controlled study of AAT for children who need a blood or dental extraction.
Detailed description
INTRODUCTION: Venous puncture for routine blood sampling can be distressing for many children, leading to heightened anxiety both before and during the procedure. Dental anxiety affects around 9% of European children and adolescents, potentially persisting into adulthood and resulting in dental avoidance behaviors. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is viewed as a distraction technique that could play a vital role in managing pain and distress for children. AAT is a planned, structured therapeutic intervention with specific goals, facilitated by healthcare professionals.
OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the efficacy of AAT during blood or dental extraction in a Primary Care Pediatric Service. Determine the improvement in facilitating the task of venipuncture or dental extraction for nursing or dental professionals. Estimate the reduction in the child's emotional stress during these procedures with the support of a therapy dog. Evaluate the emotional stress in the accompanying family member.
METHODOLOGY: Randomized two-arm clinical trial (control group and intervention group) involving children aged 3 to 8 requiring blood analysis or dental extraction in a Primary Health Care Center. Patients will be randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups. Sample size calculations suggest 60 patients in each group to detect statistically significant differences. The control group follows standard protocols, while the intervention group includes AAT with 10 minutes of pre-procedure interaction with the therapy dog, extraction performed with the therapy dog, and 5 minutes of post-procedure interaction. Personnel includes nurses or dentists, a pediatrician, and an AAT technician. Response variables include various scales measuring anxiety and distress, while control variables encompass age, gender, pathologies, extraction type, and pet ownership.
EXPECTED RESULTS: The implementation of AAT as an emotional support intervention, utilizing a therapy dog for distraction, is anticipated to improve symptomatology in the intervention group by reducing fear and anxiety post-procedure.
Interventions
- Behavioral Animal Assisted Therapy
Blood and dental extraction will be performed according to the usual protocol of the health center in both groups; with the additional assistance of the therapy dog in experimental group.
Primary outcome measures
- Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD) registered at baseline, during and immediately after the intervention [Time frame: This scale registered behaviors in continuous 15-second intervals at baseline, during and immediately after the intervention]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire (STAI) registered at baseline and immediately after the intervention [Time frame: This questionnaire will be administered at baseline and immediately after the intervention, post-extraction.]
- Wong-Baker Faces Scale registered at baseline and immediately after the intervention [Time frame: This scale will be administered at baseline and immediately after the intervention, post-extraction.]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age between 3 and 12 years old.
- Need a blood or dental extraction.
- Willing to participate in the study on a voluntary basis.
- Delivery of the information sheet and signature the informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
- If in the initial interview they declared having allergy or fear of dogs.
- Have aggression disorder towards dogs.
- Not want to participate in the study.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
Study locations
Spain · 1 center
- Centre d'Atenció Primària Primer de Maig — Lleida
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06468111 · DMP ID: 2163