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1. Introduction
The healthcare sector is going through an evolutionary process in which increased attention is being paid to the concept of well-being of both the patients and stakeholders involved in the care process (medical health staff, family units, etc.). An emerging topic is the idea of humanisation, namely the commitment of all health facilities to orient assistance and therapeutic programmes as much as possible towards the individual and his/her physical, psychological and social needs. The growing importance of the healthcare field has been confirmed, and also augmented, by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which introduced the “Health and Wellness” goal. Among the 17 sustainable development objectives, this commitment aims to initiate and implement concrete actions to ensure good health and well-being for all, at all ages. Good health is essential to sustainable development, and the 2030 Agenda reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of the two, as ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages are vital for sustainable development. In this context, co-therapy represents a powerful tool supporting traditional medicine and paramedical services to improve well-being in hospitalisation and make patients less vulnerable during the hospitalisation phase. These activities allow them to cope effectively with the many discomforts and negative sensations related to the diagnosis and treatment of a life-threatening disease. Improving mental well-being during the hospitalisation period is a significant challenge for members of healthcare teams in hospitals, especially if this concerns hospitalised children. Co-therapy consists in all the ancillary activities that complement traditional medical and paramedical treatments, socio-health treatments and interventions (i.e. horticultural therapy, pet therapy, kitchen therapy, martial art therapy, robot therapy, music therapy, etc.). It is aimed at improving the quality of health of hospitalised people. Generally, co-therapy programmes are carried out in cooperation between several actors (foundations, care centres and voluntary and non-profit associations) to reduce stress, emotional pain, fear and vulnerability among hospitalised patients and their families. Despite the growing interest in the implementation of co-therapy activities in hospitals, there has been little empirical evidence that goes beyond descriptive case studies.
Regarding the current state of a co-therapy application, prior studies have revealed a fragmented scenario in which all the actors apply co-therapy activities independently without a reference framework. Among all the co-therapy activities, the most...