our publications

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In order to develop extensions to the SPIRIT and CONSORT statements, we have conducted a systematic review to identify shortcomings in the design and reporting of dog-assisted intervention RCTs. This review also aimed to determine the effectiveness of mental health-focused dog-assisted interventions for populations with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. While we found that dog-assisted interventions may be promising for improving mental health and behavioural outcomes, particularly for conditions requiring social support, there remains significant room for improvement in relation to the design and reporting of these RCTs, highlighting the need to develop dog-assisted specific SPIRIT and CONSORT extensions. 

The systematic review is available to read open access here!