英国医院好萌!让狗狗帮助病人康复!
Dogs and other animals should be allowed into hospitals to help patients recover, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said. The organisation is drawing up guidelines for medical institutions on how to use animal therapy safely and effectively, so all patients who might benefit are able to access it. Amanda Cheesley, who is leading the initiative, said the new protocol would require animals and their handlers to be properly trained and cover basics such health check-ups and inoculation. “It should be more of the norm rather than the exception. In particular settings, like mental health and children’s settings, it can be really, really beneficial,” she told The Independent. Of the more than 750 nurses who took part in the survey, nine out of 10 said they believed animals could improve the wellbeing of patients with mental health problems such as depression, and 60 per cent thought the presence of animals could help speed up physical recovery. While few robust scientific studies have been carried out into the benefits of animal-assisted therapy, it has been growing in popularity in the US and Australia, and research has shown that keeping a pet is linked to lower blood pressure. |