Clinical trial · Interventional
Helping Improve Pediatric Patient Outcomes
Psychological Benefits and Potential Pathogen Transmission in Hospitalized Pediatric Oncology Patients Receiving Therapy Dog Visits: a Randomized Controlled Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
This study involves two distinct activities: The first is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the efficacy and safety of therapy dog visits for children with cancer. This activity has the following specific objectives: 1. To assess the effect of therapy dog visits on psychosocial outcomes and satisfaction with care among pediatric oncology inpatients. 2. To determine whether therapy dog visits increase microbial levels on children's hands. The Investigators hypothesize that therapy dog visits will reduce patient distress, lower treatment-related anxiety, increase happiness, and improve satisfaction with hospital care. The Investigators further hypothesize that therapy dog visits (including standard hand sanitization) will not increase microbial levels on children's hands. Once the main study aims for the first study activity have been completed, the research study team will begin recruitment for the second activity. The second activity is an observational study to describe microbial levels before a dog visit, after a dog visit but before hand cleaning, and after hand cleaning. This phase will provide additional information for Aim 2 that cannot be obtained during the RCT given the nature of the RCT design. The Investigators will proceed with the observational study only if all main study activities can be completed within the study timeline.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric Cancer, Animal-Assisted Activities | Childhood Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.85 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapy Dog Visit | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Therapy Dog Visits
- description
- Participants randomized to Therapy Dog Visits will receive a visit from a therapy dog and handler team up to one time per week for up to four weeks, depending on length of hospitalization and therapy dog team capacity. Therapy dog visits will last up to about 20 minutes and activities may include: petting the dog, watching the dog perform a trick, and talking with the dog handler. All activities will follow the current procedures and regulations in place at Seattle Children's Hospital.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Therapy Dog Visit
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Control Group
- description
- Participants randomized to the Control Group will receive usual medical care.
Primary outcomes (2)
- measure
- Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Present Functioning Visual Analogue Scales (PedsQL VAS) Total Distress Score
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 5 Years
- Maximum age
- 17 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: English-speaking patients aged 5-17 years who have been admitted to the Seattle Children's Hospital Cancer Care Unit and who are on the oncology service irrespective of specific oncologic diagnosis, sex, race, and ethnicity. Exclusion Criteria: Are allergic to dogs or have a sensitivity to dogs; Are afraid of dogs; Are on the bone marrow transplant service; Have isolation precautions in place per Infection Prevention policies (e.g. viral respiratory precautions, contact precautions, etc.); Skin on hands not intact (e.g. moderate to severe eczema involving the hands or other generalized skin breakdown); Have no English-speaking parent/legal guardian; Have no parent/legal guardian able to provide written consent; For observational study, unwilling or unable to pet the dog with both hands.
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDChubak J, Adler A, Bobb JF, Hawkes RJ, Ziebell RA, Pocobelli G, Ludman EJ, Zerr DM. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Animal-assisted Activities for Pediatric Oncology Patients: Psychosocial and Microbial Outcomes. J Pediatr Health Care. 2024 May-Jun;38(3):354-364. doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2023.09.010. Epub 2023 Nov 4. PMID 37930283