K9 units are becoming more common in hospitals, assisting with security measures and sniffing out harmful pathogens which may infect humans, according to an article on the Nurse.org website.
Combating violence is just one role for the trained dogs. According to PubMed, research shows that facilities with K9 units have seen a reduction in crime and violence.
In Vancouver, hospitals are utilizing dogs to sniff out Clostridium difficile (C-Diff).
Two English Springer Spaniels are a part of the staff at Vancouver General Hospital where they do scans for C-Diff.
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