Nurse’s Opinion: Can Pet Therapy Be Used in the Treatment and Care of Chronic Diseases?

Background/Purpose: Animal-assisted therapies are used to alleviate disease-related symptoms and are delivered independently by nurses. The aim of this study was to assess nurses' opinions on the use of pet therapy in the treatment and care of chronic diseases. Methods: Data were collected through face-to-face interviews between October and April 2021. A total of 167 nurses were reached. The data collection used the Socio-demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Views on Care of People with Chronic Diseases Questionnaire, Views on Use of Pet Therapy Questionnaire and Preferences on Use of Pet Therapy Questionnaire. A descriptive study design was used in adherence to the STROBE checklist. Results: We found that the nurses had not heard of pet therapy, wanted to use incorporate it into their practices through training and indicated that it could done with live animals, especially for disadvantaged groups. It was also evident that they felt that animal-assisted therapy applications would provide psychosocial support to patients. Conclusion: Given that pet therapy is considered to have positive effects in disease management, it is believed to be important for nurses as it can contribute to patient care processes.