[ad_1]
Therapy dogs help reduce stress in young cancer patients, but can spread methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), exposing vulnerable children to serious infection. Cleaning dogs with special shampoo and antibacterial wipes reduces the carry of MRSA and helps keep children safe, suggests a unique study presented at IDWeek 2018.
The study's therapy program features specially trained dogs visiting young patients receiving outpatient cancer treatment at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Children's Hospital. Dogs participate in many individual and group visits throughout the day, often moving from one department to another or to another hospital during the same day. This study was the first to analyze a new protocol to reduce the spread of MRSA by ridding dogs of the bug – called decolonization – which included a chlorohexidine antibiotic shampoo before the first visit of the day and using wipes. chlorohexidine every five to ten minutes. during the visits.
"It's amazing how excited kids are when they see dogs for the first time. They love to caress, kiss, kiss and have fun looking. Visits are really helpful in easing their anxiety and stress, "said Kathryn Dalton, VMD, MPH, PhD Candidate at the Department of Health and Environmental Engineering at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. "But as they go from session to session, dogs can catch and spread MRSA, and we found that this simple, inexpensive procedure helps increase patient safety while ensuring that young cancer patients can benefit from these treatments. therapeutic dogs. "
Although wearing MRSA usually does not cause infection in healthy people, the risk of infection is higher in people with weakened immune systems, such as those treated for cancer.
The 45 cancer patients (aged 2 to 20 years) and 4 study dogs were subjected to a MRSA carriage test before and after the group therapy visits. The dogs were not decolonized for seven control sessions and the researchers found that 4 patients (15.4%) had become carriers of MRSA after a visit, as did 3 (42.9%) dogs. During the 6 intervention sessions (for which the dogs were decolonized), one patient (4.5%) became a carrier of MRSA after the visit, as did 2 dogs (33.3%).
The study also found that patients who interacted closely with dogs – for example, stroking, kissing, brushing fur and spending more time – were six times more likely to become carriers of MRSA than those who did not interact closely. But once the dogs decolonized, the risk of becoming a carrier of MRSA was no different in the group of close interaction.
"This intervention not only decreases the transmission of MRSA from the therapeutic dog to the patient, but also indirectly between patients or from the hospital environment to the patients, the dog serving as an intermediary," said Dr. Dalton. "Decolonization is inexpensive and fast – it can be done by hospital staff or even by the dog handler – and improves the safety of patients and dogs."
Children with active MRSA infection are not allowed to participate in the dog treatment program. The research team will study further studies to determine if any of the colonized children eventually developed MRSA infection, and expand this intervention to other hospitals and departments to determine if the decolonization procedure is working in a hospital. other contexts.
Meghan Davis, Ph.D., DMV, MPH, Allen Chen, MD, PhD, MHS, Kathy Ruble, RN, NP, PhD, Alexandra DeLone, MS, Pam Frankenfield, RN. , Destiny Walker, BS, Shanna Ludwig, PhD, Tracy L. Ross, MT, Janice Jaskulski, MS, Karen C. Carroll, MD, Shelley Rankin, PhD, and Daniel Morris, DVM, MPH.
Source: SHEA
Source link
