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SHEA releases guidelines for animal visitation policies in hospitals
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The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America has released infection control recommendations regarding the use of animals in health care settings.
“Animals have had an increasing presence in health care facilities,” David J. Weber, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Global Public Health, said in a press release. “While there may be benefits to patient care, the role of animals in the spread of bacteria is not well understood. We have developed standard infection prevention and control guidance to help protect patients and health care providers via animal-to-human transmission in health care settings.”
Weber and colleagues from the SHEA guidelines committee developed the recommendations using available data, practical experience and a survey of organizational members. The guidelines, published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, also have been endorsed by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
Guidance is organized by the different roles of animals within a heath care setting, the major categories of which include animal-assisted activities such as pet therapy or volunteer programs, service animals, research animals and personal pets visiting patients.
For health care facilities with animal-assisted activities, a written policy should be developed along with the designation of a visit liaison. Animals within this category should be limited to trained dogs whose handlers have received all required immunizations, and they should be carefully followed for contact tracing should infection occur.
Policies concerning service animals should be compliant with the Federal Americans for Disability Act, with patient discussion to ensure service dogs or miniature horses comply with institutional policies. While personal pets should generally be prohibited from health care facilities, exceptions may be made if staff members determine visitation from a patient’s dog would be beneficial, and could be performed with limited risk.
In all cases, standard hygiene practices such as hand washing or invasive device decontamination should be followed before and after animal contact. – by Dave Muoio
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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