Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Animal-Assisted Activities in Pediatric Hospitals.
J Pediatr Health Care
; 2022 Sep 30.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2255136
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The goal of this study was to document current hospital-based animal-assisted activities (AAA) practices.METHOD:
We contacted 20 hospitals and asked about their AAA programs, including COVID-19 precautions.RESULTS:
Eighteen of 20 hospitals responded. Before 2020, all offered either in-person only (n = 17) or both in-person and virtual AAA visits (n = 1). In early 2022, 13 provided in-person visits; the five hospitals that had not resumed in-person visits planned to restart. Most hospitals stopped group visits. Most required that patients and handlers be free of COVID-19 symptoms and that handlers be vaccinated and wear masks and eye protection. Most did not require COVID-19 vaccination for patients. None required handlers to test negative for COVID-19.DISCUSSION:
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted hospital-based pediatric AAA. Future studies should assess the effectiveness of virtual AAA and of precautions to prevent COVID-19 transmission between patients and AAA volunteers.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
Topics:
Vaccines
Language:
English
Journal subject:
Nursing
/
Pediatrics
/
Health Services
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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