The process of nursing care aims at ensuring that the care which patients are given in a health care facility has been tested and proven to result in positive outcomes. There are, however, instances where a particular nurse may be overwhelmed by their responsibilities or certain circumstances where the knowledge of a nurse regarding a particular care protocol may be deficient (Huber, 2013). In situations such as these, the delegation of responsibilities is needed. In this regard, a nurse in charge will be required to transfer the responsibility of performing such a task to another care provider while at the same time remaining accountable for the care provided. The task that is delegated must be within the scope of practice of the personnel to who the work is delegated to. The primary goal of delegating care provision tasks is based on the need to ensure teamwork at the healthcare facility is maintained.
Delegating care to the different care providers in the facility will depend on the severity and urgency of the situation and the levels of expertise and experience of the providers. The nursing delegation principles which will be employed in this process will be taking into account the knowledge and skills of the assigned health care providers. It is essential for the person to whom the task has been bestowed upon to have proper training, experience and cultural competence regarding how to provide such services (Mueller & Vogelsmeier, 2013).Such a strategy is in line with the right task and right person as depicted in the five rights of delegation. The delegating nurse is tasked with taking responsibility for the actions taken during the nursing care process as a way of ensuring accountability in the process of providing care to the patient.
As the team leader in providing care to patients with gastrointestinal disorders, I will take critical cases which require due diligence and vast experience in nursing. Therefore, base on the severity of 57-year old Mr. R’s pain from acute pancreatitis, I will take charge of his care due to the need for close monitoring of his White blood cells and increased glucose level. Notably, in addition to the abnormal labs, the belligerence and confusion may be an underlying clue to his deteriorating condition. I will also take charge of 29-year old Ms. T who is wasted and malnourished with severe diarrhea and receiving TPN through a central line. Central lines entail meticulous care and orders are required for nurses to initiate any kind of treatment.
The newly graduate registered nurse will be assigned Ms. H who is suffering from acute cholecystitis and had a good night the previous day. In addition, she will also be in charge of Ms. D who has a bowel obstruction. Notably, 36-year old Ms. H with right upper requires frequent monitoring. Due to the fact that Ms. H was noted to having a good night and is not in critical condition, the new graduate is perfectly capable of handling the care of the patient. Ms. D was admitted with bowel obstruction and is currently on NPO and receiving IV fluids. Although her pain has decreased, bowel obstructions can develop into serious complications which require the assessment skills and evaluation of the RN. Likewise, the Intravenous fluids may only be carried out by an RN.
There are instances where nursing delegation may not be effective. These issues are brought about by barriers that resulted in an unsuccessful delegation. The first barrier is poor partnerships in healthcare facilities; we see this many times in the relationships UAP’s carry out with others. Often the patient’s safety is compromised as the UAP threatens to not carry out task delegated by the nurse. Moreover, the attitudes which care providers have towards the delegation process discourage them from taking part in it (Schoenly & Knox, 2012). The realization that it is the delegating nurse who will be finally held accountable for the care provided to a particular patient prevents them from signing up for such working relationships.
References
Huber, D. (2013). Leadership and nursing care management. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Mueller, C., & Vogelsmeier, A. (2013). Effective delegation: Understanding responsibility, authority, and accountability. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 4(3), 20-27.
Rashidian, A., Shakibazadeh, E., Karimi‐Shahanjarini, A., Glenton, C., Noyes, J., Lewin, S., & Laurant, M. (2013). Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of doctor‐nurse substitution strategies in primary care: qualitative evidence synthesis. The Cochrane Library.
Schoenly, L., & Knox, C. M. (2012). Essentials of correctional nursing. Springer Publishing Company.
