§ 22 §1531 — Care of infants after birth

1.
Prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and reporting requirement.
Every physician, midwife or nurse in charge shall instill or cause to be instilled into the eyes of an infant within 24 hours after its birth prophylactic ophthalmic ointment. If one or both eyes of an infant become reddened or inflamed at any time within 4 weeks after birth, the midwife, nurse or person having charge of the infant shall report the condition of the eyes at once to the infant's primary care provider licensed under Title 32, chapter 36 or 48.
2.
Vitamin K injection.
Every physician, midwife or nurse in charge shall administer 0.5 or 1 milligram, based on the infant's weight, of vitamin K to an infant intramuscularly within 6 hours after the infant's birth.
3.
Rulemaking.
The department shall adopt rules to implement this section, including, but not limited to, creating and making publicly available a brochure about the medical benefits and risks of administering the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and vitamin K injection, and providing a form on which a parent can refuse the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment or vitamin K injection for the infant of that parent.

Legislative History

PL 1983, c. 848, §2 (NEW). PL 2019, c. 426, §1 (RPR). PL 2019, c. 613, §1 (AMD).