Major articleGuidelines for animal-assisted interventions in health care facilities
Section snippets
Guidelines for animals visiting health care facilities
- I.
Hand hygiene practices
- 1.
Require that all patients, visitors and health care workers practice hand hygiene both before and after each animal contact.6, 26 (IB, Consensus)
- 2.
Require that animal handlers carry an alcohol-based hand rub product with them, and that they offer the product to anyone who wishes to touch the animal. Ideally, this product should be supplied by the HCF. (II, Consensus)
- 3.
Require that animal handlers practice personal hand hygiene in accordance with the HCF's policy for volunteers
- 1.
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Other Working Group members include Erica Bontovics, MD, CIC, and Sharon Calvin, DVM, MSc, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care; Nora Boyd, RN, CIC, Bluewater Health, Sarnia, Ontario; Renee Freeman, RN, CIC, and Michael Hawkes, MDCM, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario; Cindy Plante-Jenkins, MLT, CIC, Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga, Ontario; Joanne Laalo, RN, CIC, Community and Hospital Infection Control Association of Canada; Robert Franklin, DVM, Delta Society; Carol Jones, Jan Vallentin, and Don Lapierre, St John Ambulance Therapy Dogs; Judy Sauvé and Nancy Trus, Therapeutic Paws of Canada; David Waltner-Toews, DVM, PhD, University of Guelph, Ontario; and Richard Reid-Smith, DVM, DVSc and Rita Finley, MSc, Public Health Agency of Canada.
The Working Group meeting was sponsored by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, University of Guelph.