Problem: For most people, becoming ill or infirm is stressful. Moderate to high stress and anxiety inhibit healing and the achievement of the best quality of life possible. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is the use of an animal as a therapeutic intervention and as an integral part of the treatment team. AAT is used in a variety of settings and has been shown to reduce both physiological and emotional symptoms of stress. Yet, nurses are reluctant to suggest AAT, perhaps due to attitudes that individuals may have toward the use of animals in healthcare. A systematic review of healthcare evidence reveals that AAT is a high-quality and cost-effective nontraditional therapy for a variety of conditions. Purpose and Scope: The purpose of this project was to describe nurse attitudes toward the use of therapy animals in the clinical setting before and after participation in an AAT teaching intervention. The intervention included the uses, benefits and risks of AAT. Using descriptive-interventional methodology, the study variable of nursing attitudes toward the use of therapy animals in the clinical setting was measured before and after participation in an AAT teaching intervention using the Brisbane AAT Acceptability. Goal and Objectives: The goal of the capstone project was to evaluate attitude change towards AAT in nurses. The objectives of the project were: (a) To design an evidence-based educational program on AAT, (b) To implement the educational program, and (c) To measure changes in attitude(s), changes in both positive and negative attitudes, pre-and post the intervention. Plan: Phase One: First develop and evidence-based educational program on AAT concerning the risks and benefits of the use of AAT. Second, secure a valid and reliable tool for measuring attitude change in nurses. Phase Two: Obtain IRB approval and recruit participants. Phase Three: Administer the tool and pre-and-post implementation of the program. Phase Four: Analyze and report the data. Outcomes and Results: Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures in a convenience sample of nurses, revealed a modest increase in favor of the overall attitudes toward AAT from an aggregate score of 2.41 at pre-test to an aggregate score of 3.41 at post-test. Moreover, reliability estimates based on internal consistency for the instrument revealed stability in this sample while test-restest reliability for each subscale in this sample achieved significance at pre-test and at post-test.
