ArticleBMC health services research2018
The impact of service and hearing dogs on health-related quality of life and activity level: a Swedish longitudinal intervention study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03270592 (Assessment of Service and Hearing Dogs), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Assessment of Service and Hearing Dogs
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The effects of assistance dogs on psychosocial health and wellbeing: A systematic literature review.PloS one · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Psychiatric Assistance Dogs for Adults with Mental Health Conditions: Use, Perceived Effectiveness and Challenges.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Attitudes Toward In-Training Assistance Dogs in University Classrooms.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Exploring the Relationship between Persons with Hearing Loss/Deafness and Their Hearing Dogs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Walking and Playing with the Dog to Improve the Physical Activity Level of Adolescents: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Benefits of Being Teamed with a Service Dog for Individuals Living with Visible and Invisible Disabilities.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The Role and Relevance of Hearing Dogs from the Owner's Perspective: An Explorative Study among Adults with Hearing Loss.Audiology research · 2023Article
- Issues Regarding the Welfare of Assistance Dogs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Understanding the participation outcomes for persons with disability when partnered with assistance dogs: A scoping review.Australian occupational therapy journal · 2022Article
- Interactions between the Public and Assistance Dog Handlers and Trainers.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2021Article
- To live with a wagging tailed assistant - Service and hearing dog ownership from the perspective of Swedish owners.Health & social care in the community · 2021Article
- Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Receiving a Hearing Dog on Mental Well-Being and Health in People With Hearing Loss: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIndividuals with severe disability often require personal assistance and help from informal caregivers, in addition to conventional health care. The utilization of assistance dogs may decrease the need for health and social care and increase the independence of these individuals. Service and hearing dogs are trained to assist specific individuals and can be specialized to meet individual needs. The aim of this study was to describe and explore potential consequences for health-related quality of life, well-being and activity level, of having a certified service or hearing dog.
methodsA longitudinal interventional study with a pre-post design was conducted. At inclusion, all participants in the study had a regular (untrained) companion dog. Data were collected before training of the dog started and three months after certification of the dog. Health-related quality of life was assessed with EQ-5D-3L, EQ-VAS and RAND-36. Well-being was measured with WHO-5 and self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. In addition, questions were asked about physical activity and time spent away from home and on social activities. Subgroups were analyzed for physical service and diabetes alert dogs.
resultsFifty-five owner-and-dog pairs completed the study (30 physical service dogs, 20 diabetes alert dogs, 2 epilepsy alert dogs, and 3 hearing dogs). Initially, study participants reported low health-related quality of life compared with the general population. At follow-up, health-related quality of life measured with the EQ-VAS, well-being and level of physical activity had improved significantly. In the subgroup analysis, physical service dog owners had lower health-related quality of life than diabetes alert dog owners. The improvement from baseline to follow-up measured with EQ-5D statistically differed between the subgroups.
conclusionsThe target population for service and hearing dogs has an overall low health-related quality of life. Our study indicates that having a certified service or hearing dog may have positive impact on health-related quality of life, well-being and activity level. Service and hearing dogs are a potentially important "wagging tail aid" for this vulnerable population, able to alleviate strain, increase independence, and decrease the risk of social isolation.
trial registrationThe trial was retrospectively registered in http://clinicaltrial.gov , NCT03270592. September, 2017.
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