Pets in hospital at last farewell: at Zuyderland now possible

The newly introduced protocol was created for patients who receive palliative care in the hospital, are hospitalized for a long time and also cannot go home or to a hospice. The meeting with the pet is in principle possible on all nursing wards of Zuyderland, although receiving an animal in a patient room in Sittard-Geleen (single) is easier to organize. In the Acute Admission Department (AOA), Intensive Care (ICU) or Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), the possibility is less obvious.

Because of hygiene regulations, it was not yet so easy to arrange the admission of animals in a proper way. Marieke van Nunen, a specialized oncology nurse at Zuyderland, worked with colleague Petra Heusschen to get the initiative done after all. 'In the end, the risk that a pet poses to a patient in the last phase of life did not appear to outweigh the valuable piece of person-centered care we can offer with it,' Marieke explains. 'But when it comes to the hygiene of us as nurses, our clothing or other areas in the hospital, of course we still follow strict guidelines so as not to cause risks to others.'

Marieke and Petra even received an award in Zuyderland during the so-called project market, where small or major improvements and new initiatives within Zuyderland were presented. In Belgium, meeting one's own pet in hospitals is already more common. 'In the Netherlands, this is often not yet regulated or there is no protocol for it,' said Marieke. 'But here in Zuyderland we just try to look at possibilities and always have a sleeve to it. I think the idea behind our initiative is very palpable for many people.'