Delegation: Guidelines, Inappropriateness, and the Barriers

Delegation
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Delegation
1 Summary Delegation refers to the process of assigning roles to subordinates to facilitate the delivery of care. Different states have specific guidelines that govern the delegation of roles by nurse managers towards enhancing patient safety. Virginia State has its delegation guidelines highlighted in section 18VAC90-19-250 – Criteria for delegation. The section highlights four main guidelines for the delegation process, which are further classified into different components. The first guideline is that the delegation of nursing tasks and procedures may only happen in line with the plan for delegation acknowledged by the facility responsible for patient care. Accordingly, the delegation assesses the assess the patient population to be observed, analyze and identify the nursing care needs and priorities, establish organizational standards to offer sufficient supervision, communicate the delegation plan to the staff, identify the educational and training requirements for the unlicensed persons, and document their competencies, and avail the resources needed for proper delegation.

Secondly, the delegation only is made under the precept that the tasks or procedures given can be executed properly and safely by the unlicensed person. Besides, the delegation process should not negatively affect the patient's health, safety, and well-being (Virginia General Assembly, 2019). The responsibility and accountability of the patient care remain with the delegating nurse. Therefore, the nurse is still responsible for processes such as assessment, planning, evaluation, documentation, and supervision. The nurse is only mandated to delegate tasks and procedures within their knowledge, responsibility, and skills. The tasks delegated should be communicated based on a client-specific procedure to the unlicensed person. The instructions should be clear and specific.

Thirdly, the unlicensed person who has been assigned the tasks and procedures should not, in turn, reassign them to someone else. Reassigning these tasks poses the risk of distorting information, which puts the patient at risk. Finally, the delegation process will only be certified after a proper evaluation in line with the provisions of 18VAC90-19-250. Any delegation that fails to honor these guidelines is null and should not be implemented.

2 Inappropriate Delegation

Wrongful delegation can happen at any time. Therefore, nurse managers need to understand the liability risks associated with such delegation. Nurses can wrongfully delegate activities such as normal daily activities, data collection from patients, collection of simple specimens, patient transportation, restocking of the supplies, clerical duties, and housekeeping (Wojciechowski, 2019). Improper delegation of these tasks can negatively affect the patient and expose the nurse to legal suits.

Based on the above roles, wrongful delegation can affect patient safety and the quality of patient care in various ways. For example, unlawful delegation leading to improper data collection from patients can lead to a wrongful diagnosis, culminating in wrongful treatment and negative health outcomes. Wrongful collecti...