Effects of Animal-Assisted Activity on Mood States and Feelings in a Psychiatric Setting.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that animal-assisted activity (AAA) effectively improves physiological, psychological, emotional, and social well-being in various environments. AIMS: To identify how AAA affects mood states and feelings among both patients and staff on inpatient psychiatric units. METHODS: This study used a quasi-experimental, pre-/posttest design with nonequivalent comparison groups. Quantitative data were collected using the Visual Analog Mood Scale. Demographic data, with an open-ended question, were obtained postsessions. RESULTS: Significant changes were observed pre- and postexposure to AAA sessions with a therapy dog. Negative moods decreased, and positive moods increased as measured by the Visual Analog Mood Scale. Content analysis identified themes of feeling happy, feeling relaxed, and feeling calm. CONCLUSIONS: This research expands scientific evidence associated with AAA by identifying changes in mood states and feelings among individuals in a psychiatric setting.

Errorless learning and memory performance in schizophrenia.

There is evidence that patients with schizophrenia have impaired explicit memory and intact implicit memory. The present study sought to replicate and extend that of O'Carroll et al. [O'Carroll, R.E., Russell, H.H., Lawrie, S.M. and Johnstone, E.C., 1999. Errorless learning and the cognitive rehabilitation of memory-impaired schizophrenic patients. Psychological Medicine 29, 105-112.] which reported that for memory-impaired patients with schizophrenia performance on a (cued) word recall task is enhanced using errorless learning techniques (in which errors are prevented during learning) compared to errorful learning (the traditional trial-and-error approach). Thirty patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia and fifteen healthy controls (HC) participated. The Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test was administered and from their scores, the schizophrenic patients were classified as either memory-impaired (MIS), or memory-unimpaired (MUS). During the training phase two lists of words were learned separately, one using the errorless learning approach and the other using an errorful approach. Subjects were then tested for their recall of the words using cued recall. After errorful learning training, performance on word recall for the MIS group was impaired compared to the MUS and HC groups. However, after errorless learning training, no significant differences in performance were found between the three groups. Errorless learning may play an important role in remediation of cognitive deficits for patients with schizophrenia.

A rapid interview protocol supporting patient-centered quality improvement: hearing the parent's voice in a pediatric cancer unit.

BACKGROUND: The Institute of Medicine's 2001 report on quality delimits six dimensions of optimal care: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, patient centeredness, and equity. In fall 2001 parents of pediatric cancer patients were interviewed to determine how well they thought these dimensions were addressed with respect to medication administration. Immediate goals were to identify system weaknesses and devise strategies to prevent future errors. A higher-order goal was to develop and demonstrate a model protocol for rapid-cycle interview assessments. METHODS: Hematology/oncology directors worked with a research expert to develop a semistructured interview protocol. After training, which included directed reading, oral instruction, and role-playing, a convenience sample of 20 English- and Spanish-speaking parents of inpatients was recruited. Parents were asked to characterize current medication administration practices and to describe problems that they had experienced or witnessed. Rapid content analysis techniques were used to identify issues of importance to the parents. FINDINGS: Parents' medication concerns centered on their children's comfort. Parents called for communication improvements, standardization of all nursing procedures and techniques, and a guide or an outline providing a clear understanding of what to expect when and from whom. Viewing these concerns in relation to the Institute of Medicine's quality domains allowed the department to frame an improvement action plan aligned with organizational and national priorities. IMPLICATIONS: With good supervision and limited focused training, inexperienced staff can successfully administer semistructured qualitative interviews and help analyze findings for rapid cycle improvement purposes. The protocol can be adapted for use in organizations interested in rapid qualitative assessments of patient and parent preferences.