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

项目总结 以医院为基础的动物辅助探视计划在整体上提供了一个重要的补充治疗 护理病人，减少病人的压力、痛苦和焦虑。然而，传播病毒的风险 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- 以动物辅助探视计划为基础。我们的试验数据表明，一种基于洗必泰的低成本 针对参与探视计划的狗的干预措施具有很高的减少病原体的潜力 在会话期间进行传输。因此，我们将招募儿童参与者，他们与12岁以上的50只狗互动 实验(6次观察，6次，狗被随机分为干预组或对照组)，共2次 中锋。我们将测试以下目标：1)确定收购医院的计划相关风险因素- 在无干预的初始磨合阶段，AAI期间儿科患者的相关病原体； 2)确定以洗必泰(CHX)为基础的干预措施对获得与医院相关的 通过多中心随机对照研究AAI治疗期间患者的病原体和微生物群落 试验；以及3)确定探视方案所取得的具体好处，即减少 血压、心率以及自我报告的疼痛和焦虑都会受到干预的影响。如果调查结果 支持这种干预有效减少病原体通过多中心传播的假设， 平行臂随机对照试验，不减少动物辅助探视计划对 或者影响治疗犬的福利，那么我们就有了强有力的证据来作为依据 针对全国性项目的感染控制指南的建议。

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.!