JOPHON Courses offer continuing education created from JOPHON, APHON’s acclaimed journal. These courses feature original, peer-reviewed research aimed at enhancing clinical nursing care for children and adolescents with cancer and blood disorders, and their families.
Title: Sep/Oct Impact of animal-assisted interactions on quality of life in children with relapsed/refractory cancer and their parents: a randomized controlled pilot study.
Author(s): Anne Ingalls Gillespie, PhD, RN, Brittany A. Cowfer, MD, Mary S. Dietrich, PhD, MS, and Mary Jo Gilmer, PhD, MBA, FAAN
Course Overview: This course explores the impact of animal-assisted interactions on the quality of life for children with relapsed or refractory cancer and their parents, drawing on findings from a randomized controlled pilot study. Participants will examine the study’s purpose, design, and methodology, focusing on how animal-assisted sessions—conducted weekly for about fifteen minutes—were integrated into pediatric oncology care. The course will interpret health-related quality of life outcomes, analyze challenges in measuring these outcomes, and discuss the differences between child self-reports and parental reports. Learners will also consider the limitations of current assessment tools, such as the inclusion of irrelevant items for this patient population, and review the main strengths of the research, including its targeted design. The course concludes by formulating implications for future studies and potential integration of animal-assisted therapy into pediatric oncology nursing practice, emphasizing the need for larger samples and refined measures to advance the field.
Learning Outcomes:
· Explain the purpose, design, and methodology of a pilot study evaluating animal-assisted interactions (AAI) in pediatric oncology.
· Interpret the findings on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes for children with cancer and their caregivers.
· Analyze challenges and limitations associated with measuring HRQoL in pediatric oncology populations.
· Formulate implications of AAI research for future studies and potential integration into pediatric oncology nursing practice
APHON will provide 1 nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) contact hour(s) for the successful completion of this course. Successful completion of:
- JOPHON Article Review
- Post-Test
- Evaluation
APHON Related Organization Education
- Pediatric nurses – Society of Pediatric Nurses: Home
- ASPHO – Webinars · ASPHO