Study: Hospitals need pet therapy guidelines to limit infection risks

While pet therapy programs can be beneficial to hospital patients or nursing home residents, if organizations don't have policies in place, the associated infection risks may outweigh any benefits, according to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Researchers from the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction surveyed 45 eldercare facilities, 45 hospitals and 27 therapy animal organizations about their policies regarding therapy animals and animal-assisted intervention programs.

Generally, hospitals had stricter animal visitor policies than eldercare facilities. Here is how the various organizational policies stack up:

• No policies: 4 percent of hospitals, 22 percent of eldercare facilities
• Policies requiring a minimal written health record for the therapy animal: 16 percent of hospitals, 40 percent of eldercare facilities
• Policies allowing service animals only, no therapy dogs: 18 percent of hospitals, 2 percent of eldercare facilities

Therapy animal organizations also have varying policies that could put patients in danger, the survey uncovered. For instance, not all (74 percent) therapy animal organizations required a vet examination before an animal could participate in pet therapy, and 70 percent allowed therapy animals to eat raw meat food or treats, which can carry various types of bacteria and put patients at risk.

"The findings should serve as a call to action for hospitals, eldercare facilities and therapy animal organizations to strengthen the safety measures of their AAI programs and for those hosting visits to ask the right questions when arranging animal visitation on their sites," said Deborah Linder, a veterinarian and corresponding author of the study. "Education is key in ensuring that health and safety are the top priority for both humans and animals so the benefits of animal-assisted intervention may continue to outweigh the risks."

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America released guidance in 2015 on animal visits to hospitals, including pet therapy visits. Find more information here.