An ethnographic approach towards understanding the impact of canine-assisted support on hospital staff’s mental health

The goal of this study is to observe how a national service dog’s presence in a hospital setting impacts the mental health of various healthcare workers. The research trainee will observe the interactions between the dog and the staff and log detailed information regarding the interaction. When appropriate, the research trainee will conduct brief interviews with the staff receiving support from the dog to gain more understanding of these interactions. Additionally, the hospital has been logging the interactions between staff and the dog. The goal is to qualitatively analyze this data to complement the observational work.

Faculty Supervisor:

Basem Gohar;Jason Coe

Student:

Partner:

Cambridge Memorial Hospital

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

University of Guelph

Program: