SEE SPOT HEAL
Study shows pets are a window into a patient’s health
Simply asking a patient if he or she owns a pet can help physicians improve patient care, says Dr. Alan Monavvari, Vice President Medical Operations at Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH).
“People like to talk about their pets,” explains Dr. Monavvari. “It strengthens the physician–patient therapeutic alliance and generates a wealth of clinical and psychosocial data on the patient’s health environment.”
THE BENEFITS OF PETS (ZOOEYIA) ARE PLENTIFUL
Pets build social capital, are agents of harm reduction, motivate healthy behaviours and are constructive in treatment plans. Many physicians, including Dr. Monavvari, have prescribed pets instead of anti-depressive medication, with great success.
70% of households own or plan to own a pet. Animals are valued members of the family. For many, a pet is their primary companion.
In hospitals and hospices, therapy animals are used to relieve stress. And in nursing homes, patients with advanced dementia who don’t eat, will begin eating if a tank of swimming fish is placed in front of them.
“There was a clinical trial reported in the Journal of Family Medicine,” says Dr. Monavvari. “A cat at home versus taking blood pressure medicine and [the] cat won the battle.”
Horses and dolphins are also invaluable therapeutic animals for autistic children. And isolated seniors, those suffering with PTSD or young children who are an only child, benefit greatly from a companion animal.
“One of the issues of the current generation is an addiction to games and the Internet,” he says. “Remove them from their addiction and they experience withdrawal. But by providing a pet, it improved the number of hours away [from screens] and reduced dependency significantly.”
PET THERAPY STUDY
In 2015 Dr. Monavvari launched a pilot study funded by the U.S. non-profit HABRI (Human Animal Bond Research Institute) with veterinarian, Dr. Kate Hodgson. The goal was to educate health care professionals on the value of incorporating questions about pets into their examinations.
Statistics show that children are more likely to live with a pet than a biological father or sibling. A pet complements the family structure, offering stability during periods of transition and stress.
“Owning a pet can increase lifespan by five years,” says Dr. Monavvari. “But there are also risks. Seventy per cent of emerging diseases are zoonotic. Yet in medical school zoonotic diseases are only taught for one to two hours in total for the entire duration of study. And in family medicine, it’s zero hours.”
In the first stage of the study Dr. Monavvari and Dr. Hodgson created a baseline by surveying 225 healthcare professionals to discover if they routinely asked patients about their pets. Participants in the study then agreed to query patients about the number and species of pets in the home and requested that the patient share their veterinarian’s contact information.
The study changed physicians’ practices in many ways and supplied them with comprehensive information for medical assessment and treatment. Seventy per cent reported that patients told them more about themselves. Eighty-three per cent learned more about a patient’s physical activity and 48 per cent developed a better rapport. With this new knowledge, healthcare professionals could leverage the benefits of pet ownership (zooeyia) and mitigate the risks of disease and injury (zoonotic) to protect them.
In South Korea this past September, Dr. Monavvari presented his research at a world veterinarian conference and discussed the One Health Initiative, a global effort to integrate family and veterinary medicine into community practice. “The One Health Initiative is a triangle: Healthy animal, healthy environment, healthy human,” says Dr. Monavvari.
The second stage of Dr. Monavvari’s research study was funded by Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation and generated materials from the study’s findings for patients to offer their physicians.
“The patient response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic,” says Dr. Monavvari, who sees no downside for physicians. “Five minutes going through a brochure could change the behaviour of a doctor and improve the outcome for a patient,” he says. “Thirty seconds of questions to a patient is a no brainer to adopt.”
Dr. Monavvari is currently seeking funding for the third phase of his research, a population-based study focusing on overall well-being and health measured through quality of life scores and chronic disease management.
“Further study in the pet/owner equation is vital,” says Dr. Monavvari. “But pets are already proven motivators for healthier life choices.” The high risks of cancer to domestic pets from secondhand smoke have already inspired many patients to quit smoking.
“For some people, their pet is the most important person in their life. They will do things for their pets that they wouldn’t do for themselves.”