Protocol for visits of patients' pets in palliative care in a hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To report the experience of the multidisciplinary health team in the construction and implementation of the assistance protocol for pets visiting patients admitted to a palliative care unit. METHOD: This is an experience report about the construction and implementation of a protocol in a university hospital in the South of Brazil by a working group from the multidisciplinary team of the Palliative Care Program and composed of three nurses, a physician, a psychologist, a social worker, a manager, and a nutritionist. The period of construction and implementation of the protocol was from September 2017 to April 2019. RESULTS: The construction of the protocol by the multidisciplinary team followed three stages: planning, execution, and implementation, which enabled the release of visits of patients' pets in palliative care. CONCLUSION: The construction of the protocol allowed for the institutionalization of the visit of patients' pets in palliative care in a university hospital, bringing benefits to patients and their families.