A Conceptual Framework to Address Administrative and Infection Control Barriers for Animal-Assisted Intervention Programs in Healthcare Facilities: Perspectives from a Qualitative Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Agnew J ; Altekruse W ; Campbell P ; Carroll KC ; Dalton KR ; Davis MF ; Ruble K ; Thorpe RJ Jr.
• Description:
  To the Editor-Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) programs, used extensively in healthcare facilities, have numerous reported benefits to patients. These programs have increasingly been used for healthcare workers, as a targeted intervention to reduce occupational stress and burnout symptoms. However, barriers, specifically infection control concerns, prevent AAI programs from being used in many hospitals and among their diverse populations. This has become more apparent during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and many AAI programs have been suspended due to apprehension about coronavirus spread, despite the critical need for proven mental health support programs for patients and employees during this taxing period. This qualitative study aimed to capture opinions pertaining to benefits and concerns related to AAI from individuals directly involved in hospital programs, particularly occupational health benefits for hospital staff and infectious disease concerns. We report on these key stakeholders' perspectives and experiences and, through these reports, present a conceptual framework to recommend measures to better implement and support these programs. Although we focused our research on infectious diseases broadly, participant responses and our research findings are reflective and applicable to concerns for AAI programs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of a larger study on hospital AAI program-related risks and exposures, we interviewed 37 healthcare workers and therapy animal handlers from multiple hospitals. We thematically coded interview transcriptions based on deductive programmatic framework analysis. The study underwent research ethics review and approval. Further details on methodology and study participants have been previously published. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Communicable Diseases Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  COVID-19 Health Care Facilities Infection Control Intervention Job Stress Mental Health Qualitative Analysis
• ISSN:
  0899-823X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  43
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070278
• Citation:
  Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022 Apr; 43(4):531-533
• Contact Point Address:
  Kathryn R. Dalton, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
• Email:
  Kdalton4@jhu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:21b8f15e8b2ad102ddb64aae703fcb9a4d41351d70f2bb9450b92238e718fbcfc507f11d342e5138160dda897234343641140087e25e98b9436f18fe607efe09
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208525/cdc_208525_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 458.13 KB ]