Department of Veterinary, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Research Article
Piloting a Guide Dog Harness Evaluation Tool to Inform Evidence-Based Practice
Author(s): Felicity Gates*, Lil Deverell, Doug Ritchie, Alli Fagan, Matt Wood and Jahar Bhowmik
Introduction: This study developed and piloted a new harness evaluation tool, comparing two new guide dog harnesses with the standard leather harness issued by guide dogs NSW/ACT, to identify the benefits and limitations of each and inform recommendations to guide dog handlers.
Methods: We used an exploratory, sequential mixed methods design to (1) Consult with current guide dog clients to identify problems with the standard issue harness, (2) Draft a new Harness Evaluation Tool (HET) scored out of 30 points, which also invites open comments from handlers, (3) Equip current guide dog handlers (n=22) to trial two new harnesses for one week each, and then (4) Complete four harness evaluations online via survey monkey (one rating each of the new harnesses, and two rating the standard harness pre-post trials).
Findings.. View More»
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