College of Nursing and the Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea.
Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2021 Feb;18(1):60-67. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12484. Epub 2020 Dec 5.
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can ameliorate diverse health problems in older adults. However, applications of AAT have been limited because of the lack of intervention guidelines for older adults.
This study aimed to explore applications of AAT to older adults, analyze its health effects, and provide evidence for future interventions.
A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Data were analyzed based on both a narrative synthesis and a meta-analysis specifically for depression.
A total of 47 studies were selected for analysis. About 45% focused on older adults with diseases such as dementia, and 57.4% selected dog(s) as an intervention animal. About 34.0% delivered interventions once a week, and the behavioral outcome domain was the most frequently investigated. The meta-analysis showed that the effect sizes of the AAT group were -1.310 (95% CI [-1.900, -.721]).
This review provides evidence for AAT as an intervention in the physiological, psychosocial, cognitive, and behavioral domains of older adults. When planning interventions for older adults, nurses should consider intended health outcomes, appropriate therapeutic animals, and the consequent intervention contents.
动物辅助疗法（AAT）可以改善老年人的各种健康问题。然而，由于缺乏针对老年人的干预指南，AAT 的应用受到限制。
本研究旨在探讨 AAT 在老年人中的应用，分析其健康效果，并为未来的干预措施提供证据。
根据系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目清单进行系统评价和荟萃分析。数据分析基于叙述性综合分析和专门针对抑郁的荟萃分析。
共选择了 47 项研究进行分析。约 45%的研究集中在患有痴呆症等疾病的老年人身上，57.4%的研究选择狗作为干预动物。约 34.0%的研究每周进行一次干预，行为结果领域是最常调查的领域。荟萃分析显示，AAT 组的效应大小为-1.310（95%CI [-1.900，-.721]）。
本综述为 AAT 在老年人的生理、心理社会、认知和行为领域作为干预措施提供了证据。当为老年人规划干预措施时，护士应考虑预期的健康结果、适当的治疗性动物以及随之而来的干预内容。
