Delegation of Responsibility in Healthcare Setting

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Defining the Issue
The Three Pillars: On the Basic Principles
When It Comes to State Involvement
The Complexity: Health Care. Tangled
The Registered Nurse’s Role
Pros and Cons: Is the Game Worth the Candle?
Conclusion: To Sum up
References

Introduction: Defining the Issue

In the world of the modern healthcare, delegation is one of the most important issues. Creating the most efficient working environment that is supposed to provide the top-quality service for the patients, delegation in healthcare presupposes a well thought-out distribution of responsibilities and tasks among the healthcare personnel. Hence, the maximum working efficiency is achieved and the most complex tasks are solved in a matter of several minutes to hours.

According to the definition provided by Resha (2011), delegation implies the following notions: “Delegation is defined as the ability of the nurse to transfer the responsibility of a nursing task to an unlicensed person while the nurse continues to be accountable for the outcomes” (Resha, 2011). Hence, it is important to track the delegates and the recipients of the nursing tasks. It is also important to mark that the delegation is appropriate only when the medical community ahs the consensus about the necessity of the delegation (Bysted, Ericsson & Wilde-Larsson, 2011).

The Three Pillars: On the Basic Principles

Speaking of the most essential principles of healthcare delegation of nursing issues and tasks, one has to keep in mind that there are two key issues to keep in mind. The first and the foremost principle to be mentioned concerns the nursing profession itself and narrows the nursing practice to a certain sphere. According to what Kelly (2007) claims, nursing practice is predetermined by the nursing profession, which makes the regular nurse accountable for the results of the nursing practice.

Another important issue to be mentioned is the fact that the nursing profession involves the supervision and guidance of the assistants that partake in the nursing practice, thus, introducing the issues of healthcare to the newcomers and creating the most auspicious environment for the healthcare service to develop, as Kelly (2010) explains.

When It Comes to State Involvement

It is necessary to mark that the state involvement into the delegation of responsibilities in the sphere of healthcare is driven to a minimum, as Bysted, Ericsson & Wilde-Larsson (2011) explain. For the healthcare service to work in the most efficient way, the delegation of power is supposed to be carried out by the people who are aware of the issues and problems within the sphere of healthcare well enough, which is why it is the wisest to resort to the people involved in the healthcare service themselves, as Bysted, Ericsson & Wilde-Larsson (2011) mark.

The Complexity: Health Care. Tangled

One of the most essential and the most complex issues concerning the delegation of the healthcare responsibilities from one healthcare employee to another concerns the transfer of the information about the patient. Since it is important to take into account every single fact concerning the patient’s individual record and his/her current health conditions, as well as the individual reactions to certain medicine, in the course of the healthcare delegation the patient’s information must not be distorted or lost, as Bysted, Ericsson & Wilde-Larsson (2011) explain. Therefore, the process of delegation becomes more complex and involves careful data collection, assessment and transfer. Taking considerable amount of time, the data estimation and evaluation is one of the most obvious complex issues in the sphere of healthcare delegation.

The Registered Nurse’s Role

One of the key people in the process of the healthcare delegation, the nurse is supposed to carry out a number of actions and bear vast amount of responsibilities. Offering instant help and distributing the responsibilities among the rest of the personnel, the registered nurse conducts a number of operations and takes important decisions. Hence, the role of the registered nurse is not to be underestimated. According to what Resha (2011) says, the registered nurse “must determine which student care activities may be delegated, under what circumstances it is appropriate to delegate aspects of student care, and by whom the…care can safely be provided” (Resha, 2011).

Hoverer, Resha (20110 also adds that “Delegation can free the registered nurse to attend to more complex patient care needs, develop the skills of nursing assistive personnel and promote cost containment for the healthcare organization” (Resha, 2011), which diminishes the role of the registered nurse somehow. Yet it is important to mark that the registered nurse also has the right to delegate his/her responsibilities to the other staff (Bysted, Ericsson & Wilde-Larsson, 2011).

Pros and Cons: Is the Game Worth the Candle?

One of the most obvious pros of the delegation in the health care is the fact that when distributed wisely, the tasks are easily and fast performed in the most efficient way. However, it is also important to keep in mid that when delegating the responsibilities from one employee to another in healthcare, the latter must be properly educated and trained, otherwise the most negative consequences can take place. As Resha (2011) says, “Delegation can be a solution only when the UAPs have been well prepared to carry out a specific task and thoroughly understand their responsibilities in doing so” (Resha, 2011).

Conclusion: To Sum up

The most complicated issue in the sphere of healthcare, delegation is supposed to be carried out by professionals. Only when the regular nurse distributes responsibilities in the right way, positive effect is achieved. In addition, the trainees are supposed to possess the necessary knowledge. When conducted professionally, delegation proves an efficient means of providing healthcare.

References

Bysted, M., Ericsson, M., & Wilde-Larsson, B. (2011). Delegation within municipal health care. Journal of Nursing Management, 19(44), pp. 534-541.

Kelly, P. (2007). Nursing leadership & management. Amsterdam, NL: Saunders. Resha, C. (2010). Delegation in the school setting: Is it a safe practice? OJIN, 15(2). Web.

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