"There Is a Cat on Our Ward": Inpatient and Staff Member Attitudes toward and Experiences with Cats in a Psychiatric Ward.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to investigate inpatient and staff member attitudes toward and experiences with ward cats, and identify possible mechanisms for how cats affect patient satisfaction in a psychiatric clinic. Thirty-three inpatients diagnosed with depression or psychosis residing on wards with and without cats and 17 staff members working on wards with cats participated in semi-structured interviews using a cross-sectional study design. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and correlations. The results showed that 17 out of 19 inpatients and all the staff members liked having a cat on their ward. Further, 12 out of 14 inpatients on wards without cats would like having a cat on their ward. Inpatient perceptions of the cat's impact on the ward atmosphere correlated significan

SUBMITTER: Wagner C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6747524 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature