15
Personal Pet Visitation
I. Each healthcare facility should have a policy regarding the
admittance of pet animals into the facility and an individual
who oversees the program.
A. The patient must perform hand hygiene immediately before and after
contact with the animal.
B. It is recommended that a clean additional bed sheet be used to cover
the bed if the animal has contact with surface of the bed, and this
should be removed and laundered after the animal visit. If a separate
sheet is not used, replace any bedding that might be contaminated.
C. Pets of HCP should not be brought to a healthcare facility unless part
of a formal animal-assisted activities program or for approved visitation
of a patient who is a family member.
II. Pets should, in general, be prohibited from entering the
healthcare facility, including pets of HCP, patients, and visitors.
Exceptions can be considered when the healthcare team determines that
visitation with a pet would be of benefit to the patient and can be performed
with limited risk to the patient, other patients, and healthcare facility as a
whole. e patient or guardian of the pet should be informed of potential risks,
which should be documented in the chart.
III. Situations where visitation with a pet might be considered
include the following:
A. Visitation of a terminally ill patient.
B. Visitation of a patient who has been hospitalized for a prolonged period
of time.
C. Visitation of a patient who has a close bond with the animal and where
the healthcare team suspects that visitation could improve the patient's
physical or mental health.
IV. Visitation by a pet is different than animal-associated activities
or similarly structured activities. Risks from visitation by
patients' pets may be increased for the following reasons:
A. There is no formal training of the owner/designee, as with an animal-
assisted activities handler(s).
B. Pets have not been temperament tested.
C. Pets do not typically undergo the same degree of health assessment
or exclusion practices (eg, age) compared to animals used in animal-
assisted activities.
