Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Delegation: what it means to acute care nurses
Theresa S Standing1, Mary K Anthony
1Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-4904, USA. tss2@case.edu
Abstract:
As health care costs rise, nurses are increasingly delegating tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). The purpose of this phenomenologic study was to describe delegation from the perspective of the acute care nurse. We analyzed interviews with staff nurses, and a description of the meaning of delegation was developed using Donabedian's structure, process, outcome model to organize the findings. The process of delegation centered on communication and on nurse-UAP relationship and was shaped by the structural themes. The outcomes of delegation included nursing and patient outcomes. An enhanced content on communication and interpersonal relations is needed in nursing education.
Related Concept Videos
Standards of Care II
Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
Planning Nursing Care I
National Nursing Organizations II
The AACN emphasizes a healthy work environment through six standards to achieve an optimal patient outcome. The standards are appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, collaboration, authentic leadership, effective communication, and decision-making. In addition, AACN provides certification programs, webinars, journals, and...
Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.
Accountability and Responsibility of a Nurse II
For example, a nurse demonstrating respect and compassion might listen attentively to a patient's concerns, provide comfort...
