Problem: The use of service dogs for the psychiatrically disabled patient is a fairly new utilization of the service dog statute under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There is an overall lack of knowledge among healthcare providers regarding the use of service dogs and there is an even greater lack of awareness of Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD). Despite the more than 6 million non-institutionalized people in the U.S. who have a mental health disability, less than a quarter of the estimated 40,000 service dogs are in use for those persons that are neither blind nor deaf. Purpose and Scope: This project seeks to describe the level of provider attitudes and knowledge regarding the use of Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD) for psychiatrically-disabled patients before and after an online educational intervention. Advance Practice Nurses are in a position, as primary care providers, to influence healthcare for the mental health population through evidence based practice. Goal: The goal of the project was to bring about change in attitude and knowledge by increasing Advance Practice Nurses’ (APNs) knowledge on the use of PSDs for psychiatrically-disabled patients. Objectives: To describe the aggregate characteristics of the demographic sample. To describe the level of provider attitude and knowledge regarding PSD before and after the administration of the Psychiatric Service Dog Knowledge and Attitude Scale through the statistical data. Lastly, to evaluate the reliability of the tool designed for this study. Plan: Phase One: Perform a literary needs assessment and develop an educational intervention on PSD. Phase Two: Development of a knowledge and attitude scale based on the summary of literacy evidence and evidence-based practice guidelines. Phase Three: Study implementation, data collection, statistical analysis and project evaluation. Outcomes and Results: The study is a triangulated design using mixed-methods of interventional-descriptive: qualitative and quantitative means. The pre and post tests were analyzed for statistical significance. The statistical data was used to compile conclusions on the success and usefulness of the education intervention, the reliability of the Psychistric Service Dog Knowledge and Attitude Scale and add to the body of knowledge inthe area of Pyschiatric Service Dogs.
