Section 11-93-24 - Nursing services(a) Each hospital shall have nursing staff sufficient in number and qualifications to meet the nursing needs of the patients.(b) The hospital shall maintain an organized nursing staff which will be responsible to the hospital administrator for the professional performance of its members.(c) The nursing department shall be under the direction of a registered nurse who shall administer the nursing program on a full time basis.(d) There shall be a written plan for the nursing department which includes objectives, administrative authority, staffing patterns, as well as job descriptions for each category of nursing personnel.(e) There shall be appropriate written nursing policies and procedures specifying the scope of services.(f) There shall be a registered nurse or registered nurses with current licensure on duty at all times to render safe and therapeutic nursing care.(g) Nursing services shall include, as a minimum, the following: (1) Adequate care to keep patients clean, comfortable, well-groomed, and protected from accident and nosocomial infection.(2) A nursing care plan for each patient shall be developed upon admission by a registered nurse and be based on the patient's medical and nursing care needs. The plan shall reflect current standards of nursing practice and shall be appropriately documented.(h) There shall be an appropriately equipped nurses' station in each unit. At a minimum it shall include a telephone, writing space, storage cabinets, and medical record space.(i) There shall be a nurses' call system which registers calls within hearing range and is directly visible to on-duty personnel.(j) There shall be appropriately equipped utility rooms within each nursing unit or on each patient floor. There shall be adequate physical and bacteriologic separation between clean and used equipment and supplies.[Eff. 3/3/86; am and ren AUG 3, 1992] (Auth: HRS §§ 321-9, 321-11) (Imp: HRS §§ 321-9, 321-11)