
==== Front
J Anesth Analg Crit Care
J Anesth Analg Crit Care
Journal of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Critical Care
2731-3786
BioMed Central London

39252143
200
10.1186/s44158-024-00200-3
Correspondence
Assisted animal interventions in the ICU: we are responsible for ensuring the well-being and ethical treatment of animals and humans
Bocci Maria Grazia 1
Natalini Daniele 2
Xhemalaj Rikardo rikardo.xhemalaj@gmail.com

2
Pulitanò Silvia M. 2
1 grid.419423.9 0000 0004 1760 4142 National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
2 grid.411075.6 0000 0004 1760 4193 Department of Emergency, Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, Rome, 00168 Italy
9 9 2024
9 9 2024
2024
4 624 9 2024
5 9 2024
© The Author(s) 2024
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
issue-copyright-statement© Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care 2024
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pmcTo the Editor,

Proof of the effectiveness of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) in the intensive care unit (ICU) is scarce, but available data show a high potential impact on patient care pathways. Fiore and colleagues emphasized the need for high-quality research evidence, but it is crucial to define ethical, educational, and fields of action [1]. As ethics, safety, and welfare of animals and humans must always be ensured, improvisation is not an option. To this scope, the collaboration between skilled and adequately trained healthcare professionals and other figures, such as veterinarians and animal behavior scientists, will acquire increasing relevance. National guidelines were provided to guarantee safety and standards for AAIs [2]. Many elements can make a difference in improving the quality of AAIs, such as identifying allergies, phobia of animals, or any potential contraindications, and, in the same way, optimizing logistic and organizational aspects [3, 4]. Healthcare professionals involved in AAIs must adhere to strict and specific ethical guidelines. Informed consent should always be obtained, confidentiality must be maintained, and the dignity and autonomy of the individuals must be respected. Human-animal interactions must be respectful, safe, and focused on therapeutic targets rather than a generic consideration of non-maleficence conditions [2].

While planning an educational path, a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. To provide a holistic understanding of the interventions, professionals with expertise in AAIs, animal behavior scientists, healthcare professionals, and educators need to contribute altogether to the curriculum design and serve as instructors.

It is necessary to establish mechanisms to evaluate the intensive care project’s effectiveness and assess participants’ learning outcomes, including pre- and post-program assessments, feedback surveys, and follow-up evaluations to track participants’ progress and impact.

Finally, collaboration among institutions must be strongly encouraged. Partnerships and collaborations with universities, healthcare facilities, and organizations with proven experience in AAIs allow access to resources, facilitating internships and creating research and knowledge exchange opportunities.

Authors’ contributions

All authors wrote, revised and approved the paper.

Funding

No funding requested and/or obtained for this paper.

Availability of data and materials

No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.
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References

1. Fiore M Cortegiani A Friolo G Frigieri Covani F Cardia L Ferraro F Risks and benefits of animal-assisted interventions for critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units J Anesth Analg Crit Care 2023 3 1 15 10.1186/s44158-023-00100-y 37386679
Fiore M, Cortegiani A, Friolo G, Frigieri Covani F, Cardia L, Ferraro F et al (2023) Risks and benefits of animal-assisted interventions for critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units. J Anesth Analg Crit Care 3(1):1537386679 10.1186/s44158-023-00100-y
2. Linee Guida Ministero per gli interventi assistiti con gli animali (IAA). https://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_opuscoliPoster_276_allegato.pdf
3. Ghasemzadeh I Namazi SH Review of bacterial and viral zoonotic infections transmitted by dogs J Med Life. 2015 8 Spec Iss 4 1 5 28316698
Ghasemzadeh I, Namazi SH (2015) Review of bacterial and viral zoonotic infections transmitted by dogs. J Med Life. 8(Spec Iss 4):1–528316698
4. Edner A Lindström-Nilsson M Melhus Å Low risk of transmission of pathogenic bacteria between children and the assistance dog during animal-assisted therapy if strict rules are followed J Hosp Infect 2021 115 5 9 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.04.025 33940092
Edner A, Lindström-Nilsson M, Melhus Å (2021) Low risk of transmission of pathogenic bacteria between children and the assistance dog during animal-assisted therapy if strict rules are followed. J Hosp Infect 115:5–933940092 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.04.025
