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Published on: June 21, 2010
Nursing EDGE: evaluating delegation guidelines in education
Deborah Henderson1, Pamela Sealover, Vicki Sharrer
1Ohio University--Zanesville, USA. hendersd@ohio.edu
Summary
Registered nurses (RNs) must master delegation skills. A study found that an educational intervention significantly improved nursing students
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Healthcare Management
- Professional Development
Background:
- Delegation is a critical skill for registered nurses (RNs), essential for effective patient care and success on professional licensing exams.
- Nursing programs aim to integrate delegation principles into their curriculum, but the actual implementation and student comprehension require evaluation.
- Understanding and applying the five rights of delegation is fundamental for safe and efficient nursing practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the planned versus actual integration of delegation concepts within an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) curriculum.
- To assess the effectiveness of a specific educational intervention designed to enhance nursing students' delegation skills.
- To measure improvements in students' ability to identify appropriate delegation tasks and adhere to the five rights of delegation.
Main Methods:
- Study One: A descriptive study assessed the presence of delegation in nursing courses, comparing planned curriculum content with student understanding of delegation definitions and the five rights.
- Study Two: A pre-post intervention design evaluated an educational program. Students completed delegation exercises, and their ability to identify delegable tasks and the five rights was measured before and two weeks after the intervention.
- Statistical analyses, including SPSS, were used to compare pre- and post-intervention measures and assess the significance of observed improvements.
Main Results:
- Study One results indicated a discrepancy between planned and actual delegation content in the curriculum.
- Study Two demonstrated a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05) in students' ability to correctly identify the five rights of delegation and appropriate delegation tasks post-intervention.
- The educational intervention positively impacted students' comprehension and application of delegation principles.
Conclusions:
- The findings highlight the need for robust integration and consistent teaching of delegation principles in nursing education.
- The educational intervention proved effective in enhancing nursing students' delegation competency, suggesting its value for curriculum development.
- Further recommendations are discussed for optimizing delegation education to prepare competent RNs.
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