Virginia Administrative Code › Title 12 - HEALTH › Agency 5 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Chapter 410 - REGULATIONS FOR THE LICENSURE OF HOSPITALS IN VIRGINIA › Part II - Organization and Operation of General and Special Hospitals › Article 3 - Special Services › Section 12VAC5-410-447 - Combined obstetric and clean gynecological service; infection control

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. A hospital may
					 combine obstetric and clean gynecological services. The hospital shall define
					 clean gynecological cases in written hospital policy. A combined obstetric and
					 clean gynecologic service shall be organized under written policies and
					 procedures. The policies and procedures shall be approved by the medical and
					 nursing staff of these services and adopted by the governing body and shall
					 include, but not limited to the following requirements:
1. Cesarean section and obstetrically related
					 surgery, other than vaginal delivery, shall be carried out in designated
					 operating or delivery rooms. Vaginal deliveries may be performed in designated
					 delivery or operating rooms that are used solely for obstetric or clean
					 gynecologic procedures.
2. Clean
					 gynecological cases may be admitted to the postpartum nursing unit of the
					 obstetric service according to procedures determined by the obstetrics and
					 gynecologic staff and the hospital's infection control committee.
3. Only members of the medical staff with
					 approved privileges shall admit and care for patients in the combined service
					 area. These admissions shall be subject to the medical staff bylaws.
4. Hospitals with a combined service shall
					 limit admission to the service to those patients allowed by policies adopted by
					 the obstetric and gynecological medical staff and the hospital's infection
					 control committee.
5. Unoccupied
					 beds shall be reserved daily in a combined service ready for use by obstetric
					 patients.
6. Patients admitted to
					 the combined service may be taken to radiology or other hospital departments
					 for diagnostic procedures, before or after surgery, if it is not evident that
					 these procedures may be hazardous to the patients or to other patients on the
					 combined service.
7. Patients may
					 receive postpartum or immediate postoperative care in the general recovery room
					 prior to being returned to the combined service area if the following
					 conditions prevail:
a. The recovery room or
					 intensive care unit is a separate unit adjacent to or part of the general
					 surgical operating suite or delivery suite; and
b. The recovery room is under the direct
					 supervision of the chairman of the anesthesiology department of the hospital.
In separate obstetric recovery rooms, supervision shall
						be provided by the obstetrician in charge or by physicians approved by the
						medical staff of the combined service.
8. Nursing care of all patients shall be
					 supervised by a registered nurse.
9. Nursing care of both obstetrical and
					 gynecological patients may be given by the same nursing personnel.
10. Visitor regulations applicable to
					 visitors of obstetric patients shall also apply to visitors of other patients
					 admitted to the combined service.