"Stay, give me your paw." The benefits of family-centered care.

Abstract

The value of family-centered care in general and subspecialty pediatrics has been well documented in the literature. Translation of these principles into perioperative medicine has its logistical challenges; however, there are theoretical benefits. Specifically, pediatric patients with psychiatric diagnoses or special needs related to autism benefit from the incorporation of service animals into their daily routines. We describe the presence of one such service dog, at the request of our patient, during induction of general anesthesia. Consideration of the service dog as part of our family-centered care model improved the quality of care we provided this anxious teenager and her mother.