The Experience of Animal Assisted Therapy on Patients in an Acute Care Setting.

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) programs are popular and there has been a proliferation of programs across settings. However, the research to support this intervention has not kept pace. This is particularly so for people who are hospitalized.

Human Milk Management Redesign: Improving Quality and Safety and Reducing Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse Stress.

Human milk provides superior nutritional value for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit and is the enteral feeding of choice. Our hospital used the system engineering initiative for patient safety model to evaluate the human milk management system in our neonatal intensive care unit. Nurses described the previous process in a negative way, fraught with opportunities for error, increased stress for nurses, and the need to be away from the bedside and their patients.

Exploring the sleep experience of hospitalized adult patients.

Interruptions in sleep for hospitalized patients have been correlated with decreases in immune function, changes in mental status, and increased stress levels. The purpose of this study was to explore patients' perceptions of their sleep experiences during hospitalization. Structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of patients who had spent three consecutive nights in the hospital.