Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2018 | Editorial
Animal-assisted intervention in the ICU: a tool for humanization
Authors:
Megan M. Hosey, Janice Jaskulski, Stephen T. Wegener, Linda L. Chlan, Dale M. Needham
Published in:
Critical Care
|
Issue 1/2018
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Excerpt
The combination of an aging population and advances in critical care medicine is resulting in a growing number of survivors of critical illness [
1]. Survivors’ descriptions of their stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) are frequently filled with traumatic events, and include experiences of confusion, anxiety, sleeplessness, pain, and loneliness [
2,
3]. Sedative and anxiolytic medications administered to manage patient symptoms are associated with delirium and worse physical and mental health outcomes [
4]. Therefore, there is growing interest in the use of non-pharmacologic interventions and in creating a more humanized environment in the ICU for patients and their families [
5]. Such efforts have included a focus on understanding the critically ill patient as an individual and providing comprehensive medical, psychological, and rehabilitation care [
6‐
8]. This publication aims to: 1) suggest a conceptual model for the use of non-pharmacologic interventions to reduce suffering and promote recovery in a more humanized ICU environment; 2) describe animal-assisted intervention (AAI) as an exemplar of a non-pharmacologic intervention and provide a conceptual model for the utility of this intervention; and 3) discuss the basic principles for introducing a non-pharmacologic intervention program in the ICU. …