Attitudes toward Admittance of Animals in General to Hospitals in Japan :Comparison with Guide Dogs

Attitudes toward Admittance of Animals in General to Hospitals in Japan :Comparison with Guide Dogs

Pet animals and guide dogs contribute greatly to the welfare of humans. However, there are many cases whereby these animals are refused admission to public facilities in Japan. Visually impaired people have been permitted to use public facilities along with their guide dogs. On the other hand, there has been no official regulation regarding various programs using pets, such as during animal assisted therapy/activity. This study involved a questionnaire survey ofthe attitudes toward the acceptance of animals in general and guide dogs in a hospital of literature students, zoology students, nursing students, and nurses. The admittance rate of animals in general was lower in all participant groups compared to guide dog admittance. In terms of the admittance of animals in general, more zoology students and less nurses would admit them. There was a similar tendency whereby medical-related participants would hesitate to allow animals into a hospital. In the participants who would allow the admittance of animals in general, significantly more participants had kept dogs. On the other hand, there was no significant relation between the admittance of guide dogs and dog-owning experiences. Concerns about negative attitudes from other hospital users and hygiene were the second most frequent reasons for the refusal ofboth animals in general and guide dogs. In the case of animals in general, more medical-related participants tended to be concerned about negative attitudes from other hospital users, and participants as hospital users were less concerned. The differences among the participant groups were clearer compared with those in the case of guide dogs.