Introduction: Research in acute care settings has shown that animal assisted activities (AAA) have the capacity to benefit both patients and staff. There is substantial anecdotal evidence of AAA being used in intensive care environments however, there is still a lack of consensus among practitioners regarding whether AAA is appropriate for use in ICUs.

Objectives: To examine the research evidence regarding the use of AAA in Intensive Care.

Methods: A scoping review of primary research articles on the topic of animal assisted activities in intensive care settings was undertaken. Five databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and PSYCInfo) were systematically searched in May 2021. Two members of the research team independently screened the title, abstract and then full text of published articles to determine suitability for inclusion.

Results: Of the 1190 studies screened, six primary research studies met the inclusion criteria. Five of the six studies were published in the last 18 months, and all were of a feasibility or observational study design, indicative of an emerging evidence base for use of AAA in ICU. This scoping review synthesises the characteristics of animal assisted activities in the ICU, including interventions to minimise risk. Evidence of outcomes associated with AAA in ICU was predominantly limited to self-reported satisfaction surveys. Studies measuring biophysical outcomes were insufficiently powered to provide conclusive results.

Conclusion(s): Given the sparsity of evidence supporting AAA in intensive care further research is required to establish if AAA are feasible and appropriate in the intensive care environment and whether they effectively and meaningfully improve patient’s outcomes and the wellness of family members and intensive care clinicians