Robotic animal-assisted therapy as a complementary therapy in clinical practice: Exploring animal-assisted intervention professional perspectives

This study also aims to seek possible implications for robotic animal-assisted therapy (RAAT).MATERIALS AND METHODS: Professionals from the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals (AAAIP) were recruited, along with members from multiple AAT private and public Facebook groups. Participants completed an anonymous online semi-structured survey, exploring their experience with and perspectives on both AAT and RAAT. Fourteen participants' responses were analyzed using Dedoose software to identify common themes in the responses.RESULTS: The results of this study provide various perspectives from professionals in different settings on the benefits of AAT, concerns about AAT, and the implication for the utilization of RAAT. The data indicated that most of the participants have not incorporated RAAT into practice. However, many of the participants believed that RAAT can be an alternative or preparatory intervention when interaction with live animals is not possible. The data collected further contributes to an emerging niche setting.PMID:37196538 | DOI:10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101767
Source: Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice - Category: Complementary Medicine Authors: Source Type: research