Use of animal-assisted interventions in relieving pain in healthcare settings: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Therapeutic interaction with animals for patients coping with physical and mental health conditions is a growing interest among healthcare providers and researchers. We aimed to comprehensively summarize and evaluate the current state of evidence examining the use of animal-assisted interventions [AAI] for pain relief in healthcare settings. DESIGN: Systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement. METHODS: Two researchers independently assessed publications dated before February 5, 2021 in OVID Medline, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases, and used the Delphi list to evaluate the quality of the evidence. RESULTS: Of the 109 studies screened, a total of 24 studies totaling 1,950 participants were ultimately included. Studies varied in design, including single group trials (8), controlled trials with at least two groups (6), and randomized controlled trials (10). The most common form of pain measurement was the visual or numeric rating scale. For the 18 studies that reported data on changes in pain severity from pre-to-post-test, 13 reported a significant reduction; using the converted common metric we created, these reductions ranged from 0.20 to 3.33 points on a 10-point numeric rating scale. CONCLUSIONS: AAI may be considered a promising approach in need of further, more rigorous research. Available evidence supporting AAI remains weak due to issues of study quality and design, thereby impeding our ability to draw reliable conclusions on the utility of AAI in relieving pain. Given the rapidly increasing availability of these interventions in hospitals, it is important to better understand its effectiveness.

Not So Golden After All: The Complexities of Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adulthood.

Background and Objectives: The study objective was to understand how Chronic low back pain (CLBP) impacts key aging concepts such as retirement, housing, health, and independence. Research Design and Methods: Twenty-one pain clinic patients (66-83 years old) with CLBP engaged in 23 in-depth semistructured interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Guided by van Manen's phenomenological method, researchers used line-by-line thematic coding to analyze data through an iterative process. Results: Participants' accounts illustrate the interplay between aging and living with CLBP. Under the larger theme "Not so golden after all," results are reflected in five subthemes: (a) Falling apart; (b) Pain stigmatizes aging; (c) Hurting slowly, aging quickly; (d) Pain threatens independence; (e) The reality of unrealized futures. Discussion and Implications: This study improves our understanding of how CLBP complicates growing older with regard to tarnished retirements and stigmatization. Findings highlight the importance of coordinated care and recognition of pain-related loss.

"It has changed my whole life": The systemic implications of chronic low back pain among older adults.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the most common pain complaint among older adults. Despite its prevalence, very little research has qualitatively examined the diverse consequences of living with CLBP in later life. As part of a larger study aiming to understand the experience of CLBP among older adults, the objective of this manuscript is to understand how older adults experience CLBP and its impacts on the functioning of older adults. Guided by van Manen's phenomenological method, 23 semi-structured interviews with 21 pain clinic patients aged 66-83 were conducted. Through an iterative process assisted by NVivo 11 software, researchers used line-by-line thematic coding to identify main impacts of CLBP. Under the main theme "It has changed my whole life," results are reflected in six subthemes: (a) Pain damages sense of self; (b) trapped in a body that doesn't work anymore; (c) me, my partner, and my pain; (d) pain complicates family relationships; (e) painfully employed; and (f) feeling socially and recreationally repressed. This study improves our understanding of older pain clinic patients' experience of living with debilitating CLBP and offers direction for social work intervention in the context of multidisciplinary pain management.