Publication Date
Spring 4-16-2025
Presentation Length
Poster/Gallery presentation
College
Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing
Department
Nursing, School of
Student Level
Undergraduate
SPARK Category
Research
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Liz Hall
WELL Core Type
Intellectual Wellness
SPARK Session
Poster for EBP
Presentation Type
Poster
Summary
Background: Does nurse education for pediatric oncology families teaching daily animal-assisted therapy (AAT) health benefits reduce anxiety from 35% to 18% compared to current practice?
Methods: A literature search was conducted using CINAHL (356 articles), PubMed (412 articles), and Google Scholar (289 articles) with keywords including animal-assisted interaction, pediatric cancer, pet therapy, psychological support, caregivers, and psychosocial outcomes. Filters applied included peer-reviewed articles, English language, full text, publication within the last five years, randomized controlled or quasi-experimental study design, and relevance to nursing practice. 4 articles were chosen due to being directly relevant to education related to AAT and psychosocial outcomes in pediatric oncology.
Results: Appraisal of the evidence demonstrated AAT significance p <0.001 and will be implemented through education as the nursing intervention in this EBP project.
Conclusions: Pediatric oncology patients experience anxiety during their treatment. The body of evidence supports AAT as an anxiety reduction strategy. Nurses may educate families about AAT benefits and facilitate implementation.
Recommended Citation
Ahtisham, Y., & Jacoline, S. (2015). Integrating nursing theory and process into practice: Virginia Henderson’s need theory. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(2), 443–450. Chubak, J., Adler, A., Bobb, J. F., Hawkes, R. J., Ziebell, R. A., Pocobelli, G., Ludman, E. J., & Zerr, D. M. (2024). A randomized controlled trial of animal-assisted activities for pediatric oncology patients: Psychosocial and microbial outcomes. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 38(3), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2023.09.010 Hussain, S. T., Lei, S., Akram, T., Haider, M. J., Hussain, S. H., & Ali, M. (2016). Kurt Lewin’s change model: A critical review of the role of leadership and employee involvement in organizational change. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 3(3), 123–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2016.07.002 Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press. Mahoney, A. B., Akard, T. F., Cowfer, B. A., Dietrich, M. S., Newton, J. L., & Gilmer, M. J. (2024). Impact of animal-assisted interaction on anxiety in children with advanced cancer and their caregivers. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 27(1), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2023.0091 National Library of Medicine. (2025). Pediatric oncology statistics and anxiety prevalence in children and adolescents. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/ Mittly, V., Fáy, V., Dankovics, N., Pál, V., & Purebl, G. (2024). The role of dog therapy in clinical recovery and improving quality of life: A randomized, controlled trial. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 24, Article 229. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-024-04538-7 Sze Chong, A. S., Ahmad, M., Alias, H., Hussain, R. I., Lateh, A., & Chan, C. M. H. (2024). An intervention module for caregivers of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 43(1), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2024.2364670
