Posted: July 14th, 2022

The Impact of Delegation of Task to Unlicensed Personnel

The Impact of Delegation of Task to Unlicensed Personnel on Patient Outcomes
The American Nurses Association, in liaison with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, defines delegation as the process where a nurse directs or rather gives authority to another unlicensed party to perform selected nursing tasks and activities. Due to the rapidly expanding global shortage of nurses, more registered nurses are increasingly using unlicensed Helpive nursing personnel (UAPs) to help them deliver safe and effective patient care. Delegation is a process that entails assessment, planning, implementation, and Assessment. It involves the delegator or the registered nurse, who shares some of their expertise with the delegatee or the unlicensed Helpive nursing personnel.
Delegation is one of the most complex nursing skills that is often employed in the provision of reliable and effective patient care. It demands topnotch clinical judgment and final accountability of patient care. In recent years, delegation has become an entry-level nursing practice requirement. Still, newly practicing nurses lack enough skill and knowledge involved in the delegation decision-making process. Studies show that there is a significant gap between the theory taught in nursing school and the actual ability to delegate by new nurse graduates.
The skill of delegation impacts all the three parties involved; the nurses, the UAPs, and most importantly, the patients. A registered nurse who possesses delegation skills must be able to delegate the right tasks to the right UAP under the right circumstances, using effective direction, communication, and supervision. If appropriately used, delegation has the power to enhance patient care and improve patients outcomes altogether.
Due to the increasing shortage of nursing personnel, available registered nurses are often overworked, most of the time having to deal with multiple patients simultaneously. This has the effect of lowering the nurse’s efficiency and overall performance in delivering patient care, consequently lowering patient outcomes. In most cases, some of the responsibilities that a registered nurse is tasked with can be easily executed by the UAP just as effectively. Handing these tasks to the UAP lowers the registered nurse’s workload, freeing their time and allowing them to focus on the major tasks they are best suited.
Delegation also grants unlicensed Helpive nursing personnel to make an input to patient care and positively impact patients’ outcomes while lowering healthcare costs for the employers. However, improper delegation can be detrimental to patient care. At the same time, the registered nurse responsible for the delegation process can face severe legal actions, particularly if there are major medical complications involved.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2016). National guidelines for nursing delegation. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 7(1), 5-14.
Twigg, D. E., Myers, H., Duffield, C., Pugh, J. D., Gelder, L., & Roche, M. (2016). The impact of adding Helpants in nursing to acute care hospital ward nurse staffing on adverse patient outcomes: an analysis of administrative health data. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 63, 189-200.
Wagner, E. A. (2018). Improving patient care outcomes through better delegation-communication between nurses and Helpive personnel. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 33(2), 187-193.

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