Two-year-old Kaia, a golden retriever service dog, is one of the first full-time facility dogs at a Pennsylvania hospital, according to the article. Her role is to help ease patients’ stresses and fears, specifically in the radiology and radiation oncology departments.
Only 30 children’s hospitals across the nation retain facility dogs, according to the article.
“[The goal is for a] child [to] feel more comfortable being under that big camera or less anxious that something will hurt them when Kaia shows them it’s really not too scary,” said Ashley Kane, manager of the child life program at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
More articles on patient engagement:
Multisensory education improves patient understanding
Virtual reality used to improve care experience for pediatric patients during infusions
Don’t make patients play telephone: 4 ways hospitals can improve the caller experience
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