Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on Patients With Severe Disorders of Consciousness

Swiss Tropical and Public Health (TPH) Institute

Status: Completed

Conditions: Disorder of Consciousness

Treatments: Other: animal assisted therapy; Other: standard therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02629302

EKNZ 2015-153

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study investigates the effects of animal-assisted therapy on patients with severe disorders of consciousness. The focus lies on the short-term biopsychosocial effects that occur when animals are present during therapy sessions in comparison to therapy sessions without animals, observing a group of 10 patients during 16 therapy sessions.

While half of the sessions are held in presence of an animal and half without, they are as comparable as possible with respect to content and setting. In this study, patients in a minimal conscious state are recruited.

Full description

This pilot study is designed as a controlled cross-over, within-subject trial with repeated measurement. The experimental condition is the standardised therapy session using therapy animals (AAT), while the control condition is the comparable "standard" therapy session without the presence of an animal.

Over a period of four weeks, patients have four standardised therapy sessions per week, that alternate in a way that two sessions in two consecutive weeks are similar except for one is with the presence of animals and one without. In this way, data is collected over 16 therapy sessions (8 experimental, 8 control) for each patient.

Each therapy session lasts about 20 minutes.

The study takes place at REHAB Basel. Animal-assisted therapies are held in a special room at REHAB Basel in the presence of one or more small animals that will be selected by the therapist.

Patients are allocated randomly to start with either the experimental or the control condition.

Enrollment: 10 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 17+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Inpatients of REHAB Basel
• Disorder of consciousness: minimal conscious state defined via:
• CRS Score (Coma Remission Scale) of auditory 3-4 or visual 2-5 or motor 3-5 or oromotor/verbal = 3 or communication = 1
• BAVESTA Score of 2.8

Exclusion criteria

• Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons
• medical contraindications for contact with animals as allergy, phobia etc.
• If the patient's medication changes radically during the time of data collection

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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10 participants in 2 patient groups

animal assisted therapy

Experimental group

Description:

"Standard" therapy (speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy) that is done in the presence and with Integration of an animal.

Treatment:

Other: animal assisted therapy

standard therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

standard physiotherapy, standard speech therapy and standard occupational therapy

Treatment:

Other: standard therapy