Modelo de negocio para un servicio que aporte a la salud mental mediante la Terapia Asistida con Animales (TAA) en la ciudad de Barrancabermeja, Colombia

Abstract

In recent years, countries have been congested by COVID-19, which has resulted in the quarantine through the pandemic and, with it, the isolation of people, placing the World Health Organization on alert for diseases that are not visible in individuals: mental illnesses; to which Colombia is no exception since it is a country accustomed to physical contact, which has been producing aftereffects on the quality of life of Colombians. In the city of Barrancabermeja, an increase in the number of people diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression could be observed. The National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) reports a population of 199,564 inhabitants, according to the 2018 census (Dane, 2018), and, because of the isolation produced by the quarantine of 2020, an increase in the number of depression and anxiety cases was itnessed and this alerted the State for the mental health of the city. Therefore, it indicates the need to seek logistical resources so that an opportunity arises to offer designs of interventions based on Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), to implement the psychosocial benefits that animals bring to the framework of clinical psychology. The question is: which business model would allow the commercialization of a service specialised in mental health, based on animal-assisted therapy, in the city of Barrancabermeja? On the other hand, the organisation of AAT in the specified locality is based on the creation of a portfolio where the feasibility of a financial structure — with a range of services and administrative bases — can be assessed for this business plan to be created. In this sense, the idea of this work is to organise entrepreneurial designs where it is possible to interrelate the AAT with therapeutic intervention in people with mental health conditions, specifically, anxiety disorders and depression, where it is also possible to coordinate and direct in a healthcare business model.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	Spanish (Colombia)
Awarding Institution	Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga Facultad de Economía y Negocios Maestría en Administración de Empresas
Supervisor	Eduardo Carrillo Zambrano (Supervisor) & Edinson Torrado Picon (Supervisor)