NIHR ARC South West Peninsula (PenARC), College of Medicine & Health, Evidence Synthesis Team, University of Exeter, South Cloisters, St. Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, Devon, UK.
College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
BMC Geriatr. 2023 Mar 25;23(1):170. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-03834-0.
There is some evidence to suggest that animal-assisted interventions can have beneficial impact for residents in long-term care, but the focus of the evidence has largely been on behavioural and psychosocial measured outcomes. Animals, either as companion animals or in the form of pet/animal-assisted therapy, may provide benefits in the form of social contact, as well as opportunities for sensory experiences and meaningful engagement not picked up by outcome tools. This review aimed to create a state-of-knowledge synthesis, bringing together qualitative and quantitative findings, on the impact of animal-human interaction on care home residents and care home staff.
Fourteen databases were searched from inception to July 2020. Forward and backward citation chasing of included articles was conducted. Screening was undertaken independently by a team of reviewers. Thematic synthesis and meta-analysis were used to synthesise the qualitative and quantitative data.
Thirty-four studies, published in 40 articles (20 qualitative and 20 quantitative) were included. Five themes relating to resident wellbeing were identified in the qualitative evidence synthesis. These were animals as 'living beings', reminiscence and storytelling, caring (as 'doing' and 'feeling'), respite (from loneliness, institutionalisation, and illness), and sensory engagement. A sixth theme related to staff perceptions and wellbeing, and a seventh to animal health and wellbeing. Maintaining identity was identified as an overarching theme. The majority of randomised trials had small sample sizes and were rated as low quality, mostly showing no evidence of beneficial effect. There was, however, limited evidence of a positive effect of pet/animal interaction on outcomes of loneliness, anxiety and depression, supporting the themes of respite and sensory engagement.
The presence of animals can significantly impact the health and wellbeing of some care home residents. Residents had meaningful relationships with animals and derived pleasure and comfort from them. Interacting with animals offered residents a way to maintain a sense of self in the care homes, and with support, residents with dementia could also express their identities. Facilitating residents to interact with animals as part of person-centred care may also help residents to feel 'at home' in the care home.
PROSPERO registration no: CRD42017058201.
有证据表明，动物辅助干预措施对长期护理机构的居民可能产生有益影响，但证据的重点主要集中在行为和心理社会测量结果上。动物无论是作为伴侣动物还是宠物/动物辅助治疗的形式，都可能通过社交接触提供益处，以及提供感官体验和有意义的参与机会，而这些机会无法被结果工具所捕捉。本综述旨在对动物与人类互动对养老院居民和养老院工作人员的影响进行综合研究，汇集定性和定量研究结果。
从建库开始到 2020 年 7 月，共检索了 14 个数据库。对纳入文献进行了前瞻性和回溯性引文追踪。筛选由一组独立的评审员进行。使用主题综合和荟萃分析对定性和定量数据进行综合分析。
共纳入 34 项研究，发表于 40 篇文章（20 篇定性研究和 20 篇定量研究）。定性证据综合分析确定了与居民健康相关的 5 个主题。这些主题包括动物作为“有生命的生物”、怀旧和讲故事、关怀（“做”和“感觉”）、缓解（缓解孤独、机构化和疾病）以及感官参与。第六个主题与工作人员的看法和健康有关，第七个主题与动物的健康和福利有关。维护身份被确定为一个总体主题。大多数随机对照试验样本量较小，质量较低，大多数试验未显示出有益效果的证据。然而，有有限的证据表明宠物/动物互动对孤独、焦虑和抑郁的结果有积极影响，支持缓解和感官参与的主题。
动物的存在可以显著影响一些养老院居民的健康和福利。居民与动物建立了有意义的关系，并从中获得快乐和安慰。与动物互动为居民在养老院中保持自我意识提供了一种方式，在支持下，痴呆症患者也可以表达自己的身份。促进居民与动物互动作为以患者为中心的护理的一部分，也可能有助于居民在养老院中感到“宾至如归”。
PROSPERO 注册编号：CRD42017058201。
