Overview of Buckeye Paws
A recent study conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, along with the College of Medicine and College of Nursing, highlighted the significant benefits of an innovative program called Buckeye Paws.
This therapy dog initiative is designed specifically for healthcare professionals and has shown promising results in reducing emotional exhaustion while boosting work engagement among employees in the medical field.
In a pilot study involving 64 healthcare providers—ranging from physicians and nurses to respiratory therapists and unit clerks—researchers found that interactions with trained therapy dog teams nearly doubled participants’ self-reported mood levels.
These sessions, held three times a week over the span of eight weeks, allowed staff to engage with the dogs, which were handled by volunteer hospital employees.
Impact and Findings
To assess the program’s impact, participants rated their mood on a scale from one to ten before and after their interactions with the dogs.
This approach provided a clear measure of the program’s effectiveness, as explained by principal investigator Beth Steinberg, PhD, RN.
The findings of this research were published in the International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine.
Buckeye Paws was launched in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began wreaking havoc on healthcare systems.
As demand for the program grew, researchers decided to conduct a pilot to explore its effects on staff facing increasing stress and burnout.
Steinberg noted that recruiting participants for the study was surprisingly simple; many healthcare workers, already grappling with considerable stress, welcomed the opportunity for interaction with therapy dogs.
Along with Mary Justice, chief administrative officer at Ohio State’s College of Nursing, Steinberg co-founded the Buckeye Paws initiative.
Both women bring their own dogs—Steinberg’s yellow Labrador, Brienne, and Justice’s English cream golden retriever, Shiloh—into the hospital environment.
Their visits take place in various areas like clinical workstations and break rooms, providing uplifting moments for the staff.
Future Expansion
Many healthcare workers reported feeling an immediate alleviation of their stress and burnout after spending time with the therapy dogs.
Steinberg pointed out that these encounters are often emotional, with staff opening up about their experiences while in the comforting presence of the dogs.
With a nationwide shortage of healthcare professionals, researchers believe that programs like Buckeye Paws could significantly enhance job satisfaction and increase retention among staff members.
Steinberg emphasized the unique support that therapy dogs offer, describing their ability to listen without judgment and provide unconditional comfort.
Thanks to its success, Buckeye Paws expanded in March 2022 to include services for students, faculty, and staff at The Ohio State University.
Currently, the program boasts 29 certified dog-handler teams, with more teams in training to join the initiative.
To ensure quality, every team involved in Buckeye Paws undergoes rigorous training, completing both basic and advanced obedience courses.
They must also earn the Canine Good Citizenship certification from the American Kennel Club and be certified by a recognized national therapy dog organization, as program manager Aimee Mitchell explains.
The promising results of this therapy dog program for healthcare professionals set a potential precedent for similar initiatives across the country.
In fact, the directors of Buckeye Paws have already leveraged their model to launch a comparable program within a hospital system in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Source: ScienceDaily