Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Trauma Injury, Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Pain

In brief

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) with dogs has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of patients with both acute and chronic illnesses, including spinal cord injuries, heart failure, myocardial infarctions, strokes, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Studies have also demonstrated that even in healthy adults, the presence of dogs is associated with physiologic changes such as increased pain threshold, decreased blood pressure, and decreased heart rate. However, few studies have investigated the role of AAT in the post-operative course in adults. This study will investigate the impact of therapy dog visits on pain and anxiety scores for trauma patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC).

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06812247

Run by

Boston Medical Center

People needed

80

Starts

2025-06-04

Expected to finish

2026-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-16

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patients admitted to the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TACS) service following a trauma
• English or Spanish speaking
• Able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if…

• Fear of dogs, allergy to dogs
• Immunocompromised
• Contact precautions
• Delirious, intubated, or otherwise unable to consent

Where it is running

• Boston Medical Center, Trauma Inpatient Service — Boston, Massachusetts, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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