Patient Education Tools: Using Pets to Empower Patients’ Self-care—A Pilot Study

Abstract

Six patient education tools were designed to guide patients’ self-care by activating pets to positively impact social determinants of health. Distributed to both pet owners and primary health-care providers, each tool addressed a specific area of health and outlined a pet-related activity. Surveys questioned how participants used the tools and their impact on health and health care. Pet owners shared the tools with family and friends. Primary health-care providers used the tools to target specific health concerns. Primary health-care providers reported that working with the tools improved rapport with their patients.