Nordgren Lena, Engström Gabriella
School of Health, Care and Welfare, Mälardalen University, Eskilstuna, Sweden.
Nurs Older People. 2014 Apr;26(3):31-8. doi: 10.7748/nop2014.03.26.3.31.e517.
To evaluate the effect of a dog-assisted intervention on the behavioural and psychological symptoms of residents with dementia during a six-month period.
The study was conducted in eight nursing homes in Sweden. A total of 33 residents with dementia, 20 in the intervention group and 13 in the control group, were recruited. The Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) and the Multi-Dimensional Dementia Assessment Scale (MDDAS) were used to assess the effects of a dog-assisted intervention on participants' behavioural and psychological symptoms. The intervention comprised ten sessions, lasting between 45 and 60 minutes, once or twice a week. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse background data, comparisons between groups at baseline were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to test differences in groups over time.
In the intervention group changes from baseline to follow up immediately after the intervention were not significant, possibly because of the small sample size. Some positive tendencies were observed: the CMAI mean score for physical non-aggressive behaviours decreased from 18.5 at baseline to 15.3 at follow up immediately after the intervention; lower scores indicate fewer symptoms. Mean and median MDDAS scores for behavioural symptoms decreased from 15.3 and 13.5 respectively at baseline to 13.1 and 12.0 respectively at follow up immediately after the intervention; lower scores indicate fewer symptoms. The CMAI mean score for verbal agitation increased significantly (P=0.035) from 17.2 at baseline to 20.6 at follow up six months after the intervention.
Dog-assisted intervention may provide an alternative or a complement to pharmacological treatments to reduce behavioural symptoms in people with dementia, but its value and place in care require further evaluation.
评估为期六个月的犬辅助干预对痴呆症患者行为和心理症状的影响。
该研究在瑞典的八家养老院进行。共招募了33名痴呆症患者，其中干预组20名，对照组13名。使用科恩-曼斯菲尔德激越量表（CMAI）和多维度痴呆评估量表（MDDAS）来评估犬辅助干预对参与者行为和心理症状的影响。干预包括十次疗程，每次持续45至60分钟，每周进行一或两次。使用描述性统计分析背景数据，使用曼-惠特尼U检验进行基线时组间比较，使用威尔科克森秩和检验来检验随时间推移组间的差异。
干预组在干预后立即从基线到随访的变化不显著，可能是由于样本量小。观察到一些积极趋势：身体非攻击性行为的CMAI平均得分从基线时的18.5降至干预后立即随访时的15.3；得分越低表明症状越少。行为症状的MDDAS平均得分和中位数得分分别从基线时的15.3和13.5降至干预后立即随访时的13.1和12.0；得分越低表明症状越少。言语激越的CMAI平均得分从基线时的17.2显著增加（P = 0.035）至干预后六个月随访时的20.6。
犬辅助干预可能为减少痴呆症患者的行为症状提供药物治疗的替代或补充方法，但其在护理中的价值和地位需要进一步评估。
