Animal Assisted Intervention for Hemodialysis Outpatients
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06030050 |
Recruitment Status :
Withdrawn
(The study was not feasible to conduct.)
First Posted : September 8, 2023
Last Update Posted : October 6, 2023
|
Sponsor:
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Collaborator:
U.S. Renal Care, Inc.
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Tracking Information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Submitted Date ICMJE | August 31, 2023 | ||||
First Posted Date ICMJE | September 8, 2023 | ||||
Last Update Posted Date | October 6, 2023 | ||||
Estimated Study Start Date ICMJE | November 1, 2023 | ||||
Estimated Primary Completion Date | January 2024 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) | ||||
Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE |
Treatment adherence [ Time Frame: 20 weeks ] Number of unplanned missed hemodialysis treatment sessions not due to hospitalizations
|
||||
Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE | Same as current | ||||
Change History | |||||
Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE |
|
||||
Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE | Same as current | ||||
Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures | Not Provided | ||||
Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures | Not Provided | ||||
Descriptive Information | |||||
Brief Title ICMJE | Animal Assisted Intervention for Hemodialysis Outpatients | ||||
Official Title ICMJE | Animal Assisted Intervention for Hemodialysis Outpatients: A Mixed-method Randomized Controlled Trial for Treatment Adherence and Psychosocial Well-being | ||||
Brief Summary | The goal of this clinical trial is to understand if and how an animal-assisted intervention [AAI] using therapy dogs can support hemodialysis [HD] patients' treatment adherence and enhance their well-being. The main objectives are:
Participants will be asked to engage in several research tasks, including:
Researchers will compare how the treatment group (those who receive 2 dogs visits per week) and the control group (those who receive 0 dog visits per week) to see if the AAI impacts treatment adherence and psychosocial well-being. |
||||
Detailed Description | This study will take place in one outpatient dialysis clinic. The clinical trial will compare a standardized therapy dog interaction delivered twice weekly (based on pilot study outcomes detailed below) to usual care (e.g., no dog exposure) using a 1:1 randomized, 2-arm design. Subjective patient-reported outcomes [PRO] and routinely-tracked clinic data (e.g., missed visits) will be used. A total of 30 patients will be recruited then randomized 1:1 into 2 arms: control group with 0 dog visits (n = 15) and intervention group with 2 dog visits per week for 20 weeks (n = 15). The AAI is designed to promote patient comfort, uplift mood, and provide an opportunity for socialization. The nature of the dog interaction involves several different components, including but not limited to: petting the dog, talking to the dog, watching the dog do tricks, conversing with the dog handler, and being prompted to discuss any fond memories/stories of their own personal experiences with human-animal interactions. Regarding duration, the dog visits average 10 minutes but will be allowed to vary, and length of dog visits will be tracked. Each team (dog handler + dog) will have an assigned unique ID so that variation in dog is controlled for. This study will utilize trained certified dog handlers to deliver the intervention from reputable local and national pet therapy organizations. All dogs have gone through extensive training and behavioral assessment, will provide proper documentation, liability insurance, and vaccinations. All study procedures take place in the clinic waiting room. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO)s will be collected as pre-post data (before and after dog visit or lobby-as-usual control condition). All PROs will be collected electronically on iPads using REDcap. Regarding treatment adherence data, the clinic routinely tracks missed appointments and will report these metrics directly to research team. Patients will complete assessments 2 times per week for a total of 20 weeks. A short demographic questionnaire will be administered once at the first study visit. Also, patients will also undergo a monthly blood-draw providing 3mL of blood 1 time a month at the same time as their standard of care blood draw. This will be bio-banked in a repository for later ELISA analyses, which will focus on hormones related to stress and bonding (e.g., oxytocin, cortisol); this may provide insight into mechanistic biomarkers underpinning the human-animal bonding process. Lastly, qualitative focus groups with intervention group participants will be conducted post-trial to learn about their subjective experiences of the AAI. | ||||
Study Type ICMJE | Interventional | ||||
Study Phase ICMJE | Not Applicable | ||||
Study Design ICMJE | Allocation: Randomized Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: None (Open Label) Primary Purpose: Treatment |
||||
Condition ICMJE |
|
||||
Intervention ICMJE | Behavioral: Animal-assisted intervention
The AAI is designed to promote patient comfort, uplift mood, and provide an opportunity for socialization. The nature of the dog interaction involves several different components, including but not limited to: petting the dog, talking to the dog, watching the dog do tricks, conversing with the dog handler, and being prompted to discuss any fond memories/stories of their own personal experiences with human-animal interactions. Therapy dogs are trained and certified animals who are leashed at all times and under direct care of their dog handler, NOT companion animals, personal pets, nor emotional support animals.
|
||||
Study Arms ICMJE |
|
||||
Publications * | Not Provided | ||||
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline. |
|||||
Recruitment Information | |||||
Recruitment Status ICMJE | Withdrawn | ||||
Actual Enrollment ICMJE |
0 | ||||
Original Estimated Enrollment ICMJE |
30 | ||||
Estimated Study Completion Date ICMJE | February 2024 | ||||
Estimated Primary Completion Date | January 2024 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) | ||||
Eligibility Criteria ICMJE | Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
|
||||
Sex/Gender ICMJE |
|
||||
Ages ICMJE | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) | ||||
Accepts Healthy Volunteers ICMJE | No | ||||
Contacts ICMJE | Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects | ||||
Listed Location Countries ICMJE | United States | ||||
Removed Location Countries | |||||
Administrative Information | |||||
NCT Number ICMJE | NCT06030050 | ||||
Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE | 20230396HU | ||||
Has Data Monitoring Committee | Not Provided | ||||
U.S. FDA-regulated Product |
|
||||
IPD Sharing Statement ICMJE |
|
||||
Current Responsible Party | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | ||||
Original Responsible Party | Meredith Stensland, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Assistant Professor | ||||
Current Study Sponsor ICMJE | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | ||||
Original Study Sponsor ICMJE | Same as current | ||||
Collaborators ICMJE | U.S. Renal Care, Inc. | ||||
Investigators ICMJE |
|
||||
PRS Account | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | ||||
Verification Date | October 2023 | ||||
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP |