Portuguese hospital lets pets visit owners on wards: a new model?

AI Summary

A hospital in northern Portugal allows patients to receive visits from pets under safety rules designed to manage clinical risks. A doctor involved in drafting the guidelines says the approach can offer benefits without causing infections so far.

In northern and central Europe, pets stay outside hospitals. São João's flexible model unites clinical benefits and safety, with no infections yet. "There is too much fear," says the doctor who helped draft the project's rules.