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| SPONSOR: | Hurt | DATE TYPED: | 02/8/01 | HB | |||
| SHORT TITLE: | Allow Hospital Nurses to Pronounce Death | SB | 116/aSPAC | ||||
| ANALYST: | Esquibel | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY01 | FY02 | FY01 | FY02 | ||
| N/A | |||||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Board of Nursing
Department of Health did not respond
SUMMARY
Synopsis of SPAC Amendments
The Senate Public Affairs Committee amendments to Senate Bill 116 specify that unless there is reasonable cause to believe that a death is not due to natural causes, a registered nurse employed by a nursing home may pronounce the death of a resident of the nursing home, and a registered nurse employed by a hospital may pronounce the death of a patient of the hospital.
The amendments also include clarifying language that a death shall be pronounced pursuant to procedures or facility protocols prescribed by the hospital for patients, or by the physician who is the medical director of the nursing home for residents.
Synopsis of Original Bill
Senate Bill 116 would allow registered nurses to pronounce the death of a patient at Department of Health-licensed hospitals.
Significant Issues
Nurses currently are able to pronounce death at nursing homes, but only doctors pronounce death at hospitals. The Board of Nursing indicates the workload of nurses may increase if they are required to pronounce death at hospitals.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
Senate Bill 116 contains no appropriation.
RAE/njw