New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules
He - Department of Health and Human Services
Subtitle He-P - Former Division of Public Health Services
Chapter He-P 800 - RESIDENTIAL CARE AND HEALTH FACILITY RULES
Part He-P 802 - RULES FOR HOSPITALS
Section He-P 802.27 - Patient Care Units and Patient Rooms

Universal Citation: NH Admin Rules He-P 802.27

Current through Register No. 40, October 3, 2024

(a) There shall be a nurse's station for each patient care unit.

(b) There shall be a utility room for every patient care unit with work and storage space and equipment for cleaning and sterilizing utensils as appropriate.

(c) Patient rooms in which patients shall be housed for more than 24 hours shall be outside rooms and shall not be located below grade unless they are dry, well ventilated, and have window space equivalent to or greater than 8% of the room's square footage.

(d) There shall be a minimum of 3 feet of clear aisle space leading from the side of any patient bed to the room door.

(e) As stated in the FGI's "Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals" (2018 edition) and FGI's "Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities" (2018 edition), available as noted in Appendix A, patient rooms shall comply as follows:

(1) For multiple bed rooms:
a. Medical and surgical rooms shall have 120 square feet/patient;

b. Critical care units shall have 200 square feet/patient; and

c. Intermediate care units shall have 150 square feet/ patient;

(2) For single rooms:
a. Medical and surgical rooms shall have 100 square feet;

b. Critical care units shall have 200 square feet; and c. Intermediate care units shall have 120 square feet;

(3) For pediatric nursery, to minimize the possibility of cross infection, with the exception of pediatric critical care units, each nursery room serving pediatric patients shall contain no more than 8 bassinets. Each bassinet shall have a minimum clear floor area of 40 square feet;

(4) For pediatric rooms, requirements shall be the same as for adult beds due to the size variation and the need to change from cribs to beds and beds to cribs; and

(5) For newborn ICU, there shall be 120 square feet per bassinet excluding sinks and aisles.

(f) Each patient room, except for nursery beds, shall be served with a patient call station equipped for two-way voice communication. For psychiatric units and psychiatric hospitals, this shall be optional.

(g) In addition to the FGI's "Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals" (2018 edition) and FGI's "Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities" (2018 edition), available and noted in Appendix A, the call systems shall meet the requirements of UL 1069 Standard for Hospital Signaling and Nurse Call Equipment. Use of alternate technologies that meet the requirements of UL 1069, including radio frequency systems, shall be permitted for call systems.

(h) All medication in each nursing unit shall be clearly labeled and stored in a lighted area or cabinet which is either locked or under constant observation.

#9580, eff 10-24-09

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