Telephone Orders
Purpose:
- To clarify the roles and responsibilities of physicians and nurses regarding telephone orders.
- To insure public protection and assure quality of care.
Physicians, nurses and other health care providers rely on the professional skills and integrity of all participants in the health care delivery process.
Physicians are responsible to assure that the orders communicated are appropriate to the situation, and that orders are accurately relayed from the physician's office.
Nurses may accept physician orders via telephone from office personnel designated by the physician. In receiving orders from physician offices, nurses are responsible for recognizing the appropriateness of the order with respect to the plan of care, and for implementing the order or obtaining clarification.
The Use of Prehospital Personnel in the Hospital
Purpose:
- To provide clarification of the role of the registered professional nurse in the supervision and training of prehospital personnel (EMT through paramedic).
- To provide clarification of the role of the prehospital provider in the hospital.
Opinion:
The registered professional nurse may participate as an instructor or preceptor for prehospital personnel who are in the hospital to receive initial or refresher training.
The registered professional nurse may not delegate nursing functions to prehospital personnel.
The registered professional nurse who delegates nursing functions to prehospital personnel will be in violation of 32 MRSA Sections 2102(C) and (D) and 2105-A (2) (D).
Prehospital personnel are not licensed by the Board of Emergency Medical Services to perform any skills in the hospital other than during their training and in completing the transfer of their patient to the hospital staff.
Prehospital personnel will be functioning in direct conflict with 32 MRSA Section 2106(3) (Law Regulating the Practice of Nursing) if they are employed by the hospital to perform nursing functions.
Approved by Board of Nursing and Board of Emergency Medical Services
Dated: February 11, 1992