Clinical trial of a disinfectant intervention in therapy dogs to combat hospital-associated pathogens and promote sustainability of Animal-Assisted visitation programs

项目摘要 以医院为基础的动物辅助探视计划提供了一个重要的补充治疗， 病人护理和减少减少病人的压力，疼痛和焦虑。然而，传播的风险 病原体，如耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌，是对医院可持续性的挑战， 基于动物辅助的探视计划我们的试验数据表明，低成本的氯己定为基础的 针对参与探视计划的狗的干预具有很高的减少病原体的潜力 会议期间的传输。因此，我们将招募与50只狗互动的儿童参与者， 两次入组时的会议（六次观察性会议，六次将狗随机分为干预组或对照组） 中心.我们将测试以下目标：1）识别与医院收购相关的计划风险因素- 在无干预的初始导入期，AAI期间儿科患者的相关病原体; 2)确定基于洗必泰（CHX）的干预对获得医院相关性 通过多中心随机对照研究， 3）确定探视计划所实现的具体效益，即减少 血压、心率和自我报告的疼痛和焦虑都受到干预的影响。如果发现 支持这一假设，即这种干预措施是有效的，以减少病原体传播通过一个多中心， 平行臂随机对照试验，并没有减少动物辅助探视计划的好处， 儿童或影响治疗犬的福利，那么我们将有强有力的证据作为基础 全国感染控制计划指南的建议。

PROJECT SUMMARY Hospital-based Animal-Assisted visitation programs provide an important complementary treatment in holistic patient care and reduce reduce patient stress, pain and anxiety. However, the risk of transmission of pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a challenge to the sustainability of hospital- based Animal-Assisted visitation programs. Our pilot data suggest that a low-cost chlorhexidine-based intervention targeted to the dogs involved in the visitation programs holds high potential to reduce pathogen transmission during sessions. Therefore, we will enroll child participants who interact with 50 dogs over twelve sessions (six observational, six where the dog is randomized to intervention or control) at two enrollment centers. We will test the following aims: 1) To identify program-related risk factors for acquisition of hospital- associated pathogens by pediatric patients during AAI sessions during an initial run-in phase of no intervention; 2) To determine the effect of a chlorhexidine (CHX)-based intervention on acquisition of hospital-associated pathogens and microbial communities by patients during AAI sessions via a multicenter randomized controlled trial; and 3) To determine whether the specific benefits achieved by the visitation program, i.e. reduction in blood pressure, heart rate and self-reported pain and anxiety, are impacted by the intervention. If findings support the hypothesis that this intervention is effective to reduce pathogen transmission through a multicenter, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial and does not reduce Animal-Assisted visitation program benefits to the children or impact the welfare of the therapy dogs, then we will have strong evidence on which to base recommendations for infection control guidelines for programs nationally.!