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Animal-Assisted Activities
I. Overview of Management of an Animal-Assisted Activities
Program Within a Healthcare Facility
A. Facilities should develop a written policy for animal-assisted activities.
B. An animal-assisted activities visit liaison should be designated
to provide support and facilitate animal-assisted activities visits.
Often these visits are managed by the facility's Volunteer Office or
Department.
C. Only dogs should be used (ie, exclude cats and other animals).
Cats should be excluded because they cannot be trained to reliably provide safe
interactions with patients in the healthcare setting.
D. Animals and handlers should be formally trained and evaluated.
Facilities should consider use of certification by organizations that
provide relevant formal training programs (eg, Pet Partners, Therapy
Dogs Incorporated, Therapy Dogs International).
Alternatively, facilities should designate responsibility for the program elements to an
internal department (eg, volunteer department) to verify all elements (see section III).
E. Animals and animal handlers should be screened prior to being accepted
into a facility animal-assisted activities program (see section II).
F. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) should be consulted regarding
which locations are appropriate for animals interacting with patients.
G. All clinical staff should be educated about the animal-assisted
activities program, its governance, and its policies.
II. Training and Management of Animal-Assisted Activities
Handlers. Facilities Should Do the Following:
A. Ensure that animal-assisted activities handlers have been informed of
the facility's IPC and human resource policies (similar to volunteers)
and have signed an agreement to comply with these policies.
B. Confirm that animal-assisted activities handlers have been offered all
immunizations recommended for healthcare providers (HCP) within
that facility (eg, measles, mumps, and rubella, varicella, pertussis,
influenza). If immunization is required of HCP, it should be required for
animal-assisted activities handlers.
C. Require the animal-assisted activities handler to escort the animal to
the destination as arranged by the facility's animal-assisted activities
liaison and following hospital policy.
D. Instruct the animal-assisted activities handler to restrict contact of his
or her animal to the patient(s) being visited and to avoid casual contact
of their animal with other patients, staff, or the public.
E. Limit visits to one animal per handler.
