Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
06:11
High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity
Published on: September 26, 2025
Safe to delegate?
1Middlesex University.
Nursing Standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
|April 2, 2013
Summary
Employers may delegate tasks to less qualified staff, creating challenges for nurses. This article provides guidance for nurses facing accountability for delegated tasks and performing duties without sufficient training.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Practice
- Healthcare Management
- Workplace Safety
Background:
- Increasing trend of task delegation in healthcare settings.
- Potential risks associated with delegating nursing tasks to unqualified personnel.
- Accountability and liability issues for registered nurses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline strategies for nurses when tasks are delegated inappropriately.
- To address the challenges nurses face with inadequate training for delegated tasks.
- To provide guidance on maintaining professional standards and patient safety.
Main Methods:
- Review of professional nursing standards and guidelines.
- Analysis of legal and ethical implications of task delegation.
- Case study examples of delegation challenges.
Main Results:
- Nurses remain accountable for all delegated tasks, regardless of who performs them.
- Inadequate training poses significant risks to patient safety and nursing practice.
- Clear communication and documentation are crucial.
Conclusions:
- Nurses must proactively manage delegation to ensure patient safety and uphold professional standards.
- Establishing clear protocols for task delegation is essential for healthcare organizations.
- Continuous education and competency assessment are vital for all staff involved in task delegation.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Guidelines and Strategies for Safe Computer Charting
The guidelines and strategies provided by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) offer essential principles for ensuring safe and secure computer charting systems in healthcare settings. Let's break down each recommendation:
Maintain Confidentiality and Security:
Maintain Confidentiality and Security:
01:37Social Loafing
Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated, individuals become less...
01:08Obedience
According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation, obedience...
01:19Standards of Care II
Nurses bear specific legal responsibilities under several federal statutes, including:
01:09Accountability and Responsibility of a Nurse II
Professional accountability in nursing is a multifaceted concept that encompasses professional ethics, legal standards, and employment expectations. This framework ensures that nurses maintain and elevate the quality of care while upholding the values of their profession. It compels them to treat patients, families, and colleagues with respect, compassion, and integrity.
For example, a nurse demonstrating respect and compassion might listen attentively to a patient's concerns, provide comfort...
For example, a nurse demonstrating respect and compassion might listen attentively to a patient's concerns, provide comfort...
01:25Ethical Standards I
The American Nurses Association (ANA) created and implemented the first nationally accepted Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. The Code of Ethics is a living document regularly updated by the ANA and establishes an ethical standard that is non-negotiable for nurses in all roles and settings.
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...