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Background: Despite claims that animal-assisted therapy is beneficial, there is limited empirical evidence supporting this. Current literature supports the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits an animal can provide, but few studies have explored the outcomes of incorporating an animal into skilled treatment facilitated by a healthcare professional. This study seeks to explore the effects of animal-assisted therapy in outpatient pediatric occupational therapy practice. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the meaningfulness and motivation animal-assisted therapy interventions provide for pediatric clients when compared with traditional occupational therapy treatment. Methods: Researchers utilized a within-participants repeated-measures design for this study. Children receiving animal-assisted therapy at a private practice occupational therapy clinic were videoed performing therapeutic activities with a licensed occupational therapist and trained dogs. The videos were gathered both with and without the animal present in the therapy session and coded to determine the meaningfulness and motivation of animal-assisted therapy versus traditional therapy without a dog. Results: Statistical analysis indicated that the childrens’ scores for initiating interactions with the therapist were significantly higher in the without dog condition than in the live dog condition. Furthermore, four out of the five children demonstrated increased on task/dog comments in the live dog condition than in the stuffed dog condition. The specific intervention activity performed influenced children’s engagement and enjoyment of animal-assisted therapy interventions. Conclusion: This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that animal-assisted therapy increases children’s enjoyment and engagement during therapeutic activities when a dog was present. Furthermore, the type of animal-assisted therapy activity performed may influence the children’s motivation to participate.

The Tumaini Children’s Drop-In Center is a daytime drop-in center for the street children of Eldoret, Kenya. It is part of a partnership between the Purdue University College of Pharmacy, the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare program, Eldoret community members, and numerous individuals in both Kenya and the US. Through the efforts of local staff and Purdue student pharmacists, who work at the local hospital on an eight-week clinical rotation, the center has helped a population of nearly 400 local street children by providing a safe haven from life on the streets. Purdue student pharmacists aid the center by applying for grants to fund service-learning projects. These projects, run by the students, help provide the children with basic necessities in addition to screening and education sessions regarding local health issues. In turn, the street children aid the students by providing a break from the stress of the hospital and by providing a broader view of what health care should look like.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is well suited for courses in the history of medicine, where multiple perspectives exist and information has to be gleaned from different sources. A student, an archivist, and a teacher offer three perspectives about a senior level course where students explored the antecedents and consequences of medical technology. Two active learning strategies were used: (a) PBL to explore the historical basis of procedures used to diagnose, prevent and treat a single disease, tuberculosis, and (b) a concurrent inquiry-based component that permitted individual exploration of other medical technologies and demonstration of learning through diverse options (book reviews, conversations, essays, archival research, oral exams). This course was highly rated by students with an overall rating of 9.5 ± 0.7 (36 students from 2008–2012).

This inquiry into matters of heart, conducted under the shadows of pending surgery, awakens themes of boyhood, education, and marriage and prompt questions about loyalty to a deceased father, connections with immigrant grandparents, loss and rediscovery of faith, and solitude versus community. A medical narrative, the book also chronicles a span of contemporary American life. Throughout Amato's account, the consistent reminder of his upcoming bypass invites readers to reflect on their own lives and selves. This is an intelligent and witty guide to an immensely common operation that nevertheless for each patient constitutes a unique experience-a veritable rite of passage., https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_ebooks/1001/thumbnail.jpg