Animal Therapy to Aid Recovery of Patients at Bustamante Hospital

Paediatric patients at the Bustamante Hospital for Children can now interact with animals for comfort and to reduce their stress and anxiety as they undergo treatment at the facility.

The intervention is being provided under the Animal-Assisted Recovery Care (AARC) Pilot Project, which was officially launched at the facility on Tuesday (March 28) by the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA).

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, first announced the intervention in Parliament in November 2022.

Addressing Tuesday’s launch ceremony, Dr. Tufton noted that animal-assisted support is globally recognised as having various benefits for both patients and providers while providing a ‘One Health Approach’ to healthcare delivery.

“This One Health Approach, the World Health Organization (WHO) tells us, recognises the interconnection between the health of humans and the environment and the multiple benefits, including the positive psychosocial development that can come from humans interacting and bonding with animals for health,” he pointed out.

“What we are hoping to do, therefore, with this project, is to create the sort of One Health Approach that sees society in a holistic way, and we hope that Bustamante Hospital for Children will set the trend for the rest of the society to follow,” he noted.

Dr. Tufton cited ongoing research into the role of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) in providing complementary healthcare for paediatric patients in the United States.

“The results, up to now, underscore that young patients who participate in AAIs experience a reduction in behavioural and psychological distress, experience lower levels of depression, have the benefit of shorter recovery times and enjoy improved satisfaction and hospitalisation,” he noted.

Minister Tufton said that the AARC project is the first of its kind in Jamaica and the pilot will evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in the hospital setting.

He noted that an assessment was done at the hospital to ensure safe and effective interaction between the patients and the animals. Several animals are being used in the pilot, including the main project animal, a golden retriever named “Dr. Teddy Barks”, who is cared for and maintained by the Hope Zoo.

All other animals, including birds, rabbits and kittens, will come from the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), the Hope Zoo and Montego Bay Animal Haven.

The programme is a multidisciplinary collaborative effort and is being launched as part of Bustamante Hospital’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

It will run for 18 months through funding from the National Health Fund (NHF) and will be handled under the SERHA Projects portfolio.

Under the project, there will be monthly interactions and educational sessions with pre-selected patients at the Bustamante Hospital and the animals. Patients and staff can also benefit from additional visits and interactions with Dr. Barks, who is now owned by the facility.

The project also has a research component, which will allow the facility to gather data on the impact of the intervention on the healthcare system.