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. 2019 May 9;14(3):e12239. doi: 10.1111/opn.12239

Table 2.

Study characteristics (randomised trials and mixed methods studies)

Study ID and date Country Study design Sample Setting (nursing home/ care home) Intervention arm description Comparator arm(s) description Outcomes measured (tools used)
Banks 2008 USA 3 arm RCT N = 42.
Residents,
Mixed‐sex,
Mean age: NA 		Nursing home Individual sessions with AIBO robotic dog:

  • 30 min for 8 weeks

  • AIBO kept stationary in cradle

  • Note: not clear whether staff facilitated

 Living dog or routine care (no AAT).
Intervention with dog as described for AIBO

  • Loneliness (University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale)

  • Attachment (modified Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale [LAPS])
Joranson 2015 Norway Cluster RCT N = 60.
Residents with dementia, Mixed‐sex, Mean age: INT (83.9 years), COMP (84.1 years) 		Nursing home Group sessions with PARO robotic seal:

  • 30‐min sessions, twice a week, over 12 weeks

  • Staff facilitated

 Routine care, details not described

  • Agitation (validated Norwegian version of Brief Agitation Rating Scale (BARS))

  • Depression (validated Norwegian version of Cornell scale for Symptoms of Depression in Dementia (CSDD))

  • Medication (overviews of medication in accordance with Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical ATC Classification System)
Joranson 2016 Norway Cluster RCT As above As above As above AS above

  • Agitation (validated Norwegian version of Brief Agitation Rating Scale [BARS])

  • QoL (The Quality of Life in Late‐Stage Dementia (QUALID) scale)

  • Medication usage (overviews of medication in accordance with Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical ATC Classification System)
Libin and Mansfied 2004 USA Pilot RCT (crossover) N = 9
Residents with dementia
All female
Mean age 90 years 		Nursing home Individual session with NeCoRo robotic cat:

  • 10 min

  • Staff facilitated

 Individual session with a plush cat

  • 10 min

  • Staff facilitated

  • Agitation (Agitated Behaviors Mapping Instrument)

  • Affect (Lawton's Modified Behavior Stream)

  • Engagement (Bespoke observation tool)
Moyle 2013 Australia RCT (crossover) N = 18
Residents with dementia
Sex not reported
Mean age 85.3 years 		Both (residential care with 62 nursing home beds) Group sessions with PARO

  • 45 min, 3 times a week, over 5 weeks

  • Staff facilitated

  • Note: 2 different PAROs used to allow participants more individual time with robot

  • Reading control group

  • Staff directed

  • Activities include being read to, looking at pictures and social interaction in group through engaging in questions about reading

  • Delivered as in PARO group

  • QoL (Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QOL‐AD))

  • Anxiety (Rating Anxiety in Dementia Scale (RAID))

  • Apathy (Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES))

  • Depression (Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS))

  • Wandering (Revised Algase Wandering Scale‐Nursing Home version (AWS))

  • Mood state (Observed Emotion Rating Scale (OERS))
Moyle 2017b Australia 3 arm Cluster RCT N = 415
Residents with dementia,
Mixed‐sex,
Mean age: INT (84 years), COMP routine (86 years), COMP toy (85 years) 		Nursing home Individual sessions with PARO

  • 15 min, 3 times a week, for 10 weeks

  • Individual left to interact

  • Routine care (not described)

  • Plush toy (PARO without batteries) group receives same contact sessions as PARO group

  • Engagement (30 min Video observation by trained RAs)

  • Mood states (30 min Video observation by trained RAs)

  • Agitation (30 min Video observation by trained RAs plus Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory Short Form (CMAI‐SF))
Moyle 2018b As above As above As above As above As above As above

  • Sleep and day and night time activity (Sensewear armband)
Mervin 2017 As above As above As above As above As above As above

  • Cost‐effectiveness
Petersen 2017 USA RCT N = 61
Residents with dementia, Mixed‐sex
Mean age: INT (83.5yrs), COMP (83.3 years) 		Unclear—could be assisted or independent living Group sessions with PARO

  • 20 min, 3 times a week, for 12 weeks

  • Staff facilitated

 Routine care –

  • physical activity, music, mental stimulation activities

  • Staff facilitated small groups

  • Daily

  • Rating for anxiety in dementia (RAID)

  • Depression in dementia (Cornell Scale for Dep in Dem)

  • Severity of dementia (Global Deterioration Scale)

  • Pulse rate (stress/anxiety),

  • Pulse oximetry (stress/anxiety)

  • Galvanic skin response (arousal)

  • Medication (medical records)
Robinson 2013 New Zealand RCT N = 40
Residents with and without dementia,
Mixed‐sex
Age range: 55−100yrs 		Both (retirement home with both hospital and home areas) Group sessions with PARO

  • Duration not stated, 2 times a week, for 12 weeks

  • Staff facilitated groups

  • Some individual sessions if participant unavailable for the group

 Routine care included

  • bus trips during time of intervention group sessions or an alternative activity (crafts, movie, bingo)

  • also included the presence of a live dog at times

  • QoL (Quality of Life for Alzheimer's Disease (QoL‐AD)

  • Depression (Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

  • Loneliness (UCLA Loneliness scale)

  • Interaction (observations)
Thodberg 2016 Denmark 3 arm RCT block design N = 100
Residents with and without dementia, Sex and age reported across nursing home sites 		Nursing home Individual sessions with PARO

  • 10 min, 2 times a week, for 6 weeks

  • Individual left to interact

 Living dog

  • Project staff facilitated sessions with a visiting living dog

  • Toy cat

  • Staff facilitated sessions with soft toy cat which was not interactive

  • Both group sessions delivered as in PARO group

  • Cognitive state (mini‐mental state examination MMSE)

  • Disability (Gottfries‐Brane‐Steen scale (GBS))

  • Depression (Geriatric depression scale (GDS))

  • Sleep (accelerometers based on actigraphy technology)

  • BMI
Thodberg 2016 Denmark As above As above As above As above As above

  • Physical contact with visiting animal (direct observation)

  • Talk directed to animal and visiting person (direct observation)

  • Visual contact with either animal or visiting person (direct observation)

  • Cognitive state (MMSE)

  • Disability (GBS)

  • Depression (GDS)
Valenti Soler 2015 Spain 3 arm Cluster RCT N = 110
Residents with dementia, Mixed‐sex, Mean age 84.7yrs across all groups 		Nursing home Group sessions with PARO

  • 30–40 min, twice a week, for 12 weeks

  • staff facilitated

 Routine care—no further description
Living dog

  • Staff facilitated sessions with living dog

  • Group based as described for PARO group

  • Dementia deterioration (Global Deterioration Scale)

  • Dementia severity (MMSE)

  • Apathy (apathy scale for institutionalised patients with dementia in nursing home environments)

  • Neuropsychiatric inventory

  • QoL (QUALID)

Abbreviation(s): COMP, Comparator group; INT, Intervention group; RCT, randomised controlled trial.