Don’t be scared to let pets visit patients in NHS hospitals, say nurses
Hospitals should let more dogs and other animals on to wards and even into operating theatres to help patients, the Royal College of Nursing says.
The call comes after the RCN collected scores of anecdotes of therapy-animals, and sometimes pets, helping recovery.
Some young patients found having trained dogs accompany them to the anaesthetic room reduced their anxiety before and after surgery.
The RCN is working on national advice to encourage more animal visitors.
In a recent RCN survey of 750 nursing staff, 82% said animals could help patients be more physically active and 60% said they believed animals improved physical recovery.
But many nurses said animals were not allowed where they worked.
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