Stace Laura Britton
Valley Health- Luray Family Medicine, Luray, VA, USA; School of Nursing, The George Washington University, Ashburn, VA, USA.
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016 Aug;24:57-66. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.05.005. Epub 2016 May 8.
Service dogs have been used in the adult population for decades. Recently, there has been a diversification in types of service dogs, specifically for the pediatric population. Although guide dogs and mobility dogs are accepted in society, autism assistance dogs, seizure alert and response dogs and diabetic alert dogs are relatively new. As pediatric service dogs attract more attention, pediatric providers need to be prepared to answer parental inquires regarding service dog use. The pediatric provider is well equipped to identify children who could benefit from a service dog intervention and should be able to make a referral to a reputable service dog provider. This article presents guidance on appropriate patient selection, making a service dog referral, and risks and benefits involved. Pediatric providers are ideally positioned to be leaders in implementing this evolving new assistive technology that can help to alleviate pediatric disabilities for both the patient and family.
服务犬在成年人群体中已使用了数十年。最近，服务犬的类型出现了多样化，特别是针对儿童群体。尽管导盲犬和行动辅助犬已被社会所接受，但自闭症辅助犬、癫痫警报与反应犬以及糖尿病警报犬相对较新。随着儿童服务犬受到更多关注，儿科医疗服务提供者需要准备好回答家长关于使用服务犬的询问。儿科医疗服务提供者具备充分的条件来识别那些可以从服务犬干预中受益的儿童，并且应该能够向信誉良好的服务犬提供者进行推荐。本文提供了关于合适患者选择、进行服务犬推荐以及所涉及的风险和益处的指导。儿科医疗服务提供者处于理想的位置，能够成为实施这种不断发展的新辅助技术的领导者，该技术有助于减轻患者及其家庭的儿童残疾状况。
