OAR 333-510-0002
Definitions
(1)
“Direct Care Registered Nurse” means a nurse who is routinely assigned to a patient care unit, who is replaced for scheduled and unscheduled absences and includes charge nurses if the charge nurse is not management services.(2)
“Direct Care Staff” means registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants that are routinely assigned to patient care units and are replaced for scheduled or unscheduled absences.(3)
“Direct Care Staff Member” means an individual who is a direct care registered nurse, licensed practical nurse or certified nursing assistant who is routinely assigned to a patient care unit and is replaced for a scheduled or unscheduled absences.(4)
“Epidemic” means the occurrence of a group of similar conditions of public health importance in a community or region that are in excess of normal expectancy and that are from a common or propagated source.(5)
“Evidence Based Standards” means standards that have been scientifically developed, are based on current literature, and are driven by consensus.(6)
“Hospital” means a hospital as described in ORS 442.015 (Definitions) and an acute inpatient care facility as defined in ORS 442.470 (Definitions for ORS 442.470 to 442.507).(7)
“Mandatory Overtime” is any time that exceeds those time limits specified in ORS 441.166 (Need for replacement staff) unless the nursing staff member voluntarily chooses to work overtime.(8)
“Nurse Manager” means a registered nurse who has administrative responsibility 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a patient care unit, units or hospital and who is not replaced for short-term scheduled or unscheduled absences.(9)
“Nursing care intensity” means the level of patient need for nursing care as determined by the nursing assessment.(10)
“Nursing staff” means registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants.(11)
“Nursing staff member” means an individual who is a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse or a certified nursing assistant.(12)
“On Call” means a scheduled state of availability to return to duty, work-ready, within a specified period of time.(13)
“On Call Nursing Staff” means individual nursing staff members or nursing service agencies maintained by a hospital that are available and willing to cover nursing staff shortages due to unexpected nursing staff absences or unanticipated increased nursing service needs.(14)
“Patient acuity” means the complexity of patient care needs requiring the skill and care of nursing staff.(15)
“Potential Harm” or “At Risk of Harm” means that an unstable patient will be left without adequate care for an unacceptable period of time if the assigned nursing staff member leaves the assignment or transfers care to another nursing staff member.(16)
“Quorum” means that a majority, or one-half plus one, of the staffing committee members are present during a staffing committee meeting.(17)
“Safe Patient Care” means nursing care that is provided appropriately, in a timely manner, and meets the patient’s health care needs. The following factors may be, but are not in all circumstances, evidence of unsafe patient care:(a)
A failure to implement the written nurse staffing plan;(b)
A failure to comply with the patient care plan;(c)
An error that has a negative impact on the patient;(d)
A patient report that his or her nursing care needs have not been met;(e)
A medication not given as scheduled;(f)
The nursing preparation for a procedure that was not accomplished on time;(g)
A nursing staff member who was practicing outside his or her authorized scope of practice;(h)
Daily unit-level staffing that does not include coverage for all known patients, taking into account the turnover of patients;(i)
The skill mix of employees and the relationship of the skill mix to patient acuity and nursing care intensity of the workload is insufficient to meet patient needs; or(j)
An unreasonable delay in responding to a request for nursing care made by a patient or made on behalf of a patient by his or her family member.(18)
“Staffing Committee” means the hospital nurse staffing committee.(19)
“Staffing Plan” means the written hospital-wide staffing plan for nursing services developed by the hospital nurse staffing committee.(20)
“Standby” means a scheduled state of availability to return to duty, work-ready within a specified period of time.(21)
“Waiver” means a variance to the hospital-wide staffing plan requirements as described in ORS 441.164 (Variances to staffing plan requirements).
Source:
Rule 333-510-0002 — Definitions, https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=333-510-0002.