Introduction
Delegation is one of the most critical processes in providing health services. Several reasons determine this procedure; however, the most important aspect is its proper implementation and following specific rules and responsibilities. The delegation was carried out as part of this work due to the discovery of blood culture contamination in North Carolina Cabarrus County’s medical facility. Clinical Nurse (RN) II performed this procedure for the continuous education committee for Nurses in Emergency Departments. The blood culture contamination rate has increased in our department.
Several processes and functions can be delegated when there are problems with blood culture contamination in a healthcare facility. An example is the need to transfer tasks to the nursing assistant. They can be assigned responsibilities for standardized blood culture collection, which will help determine the severity of the problem and the measures that should be applied to climatize the issue. In addition, this process will provide an opportunity to distribute responsibilities between specialists to solve the contamination problem evenly.
Rules and Responsibilities of Advanced Practice Nurse
One of the primary resources that can be used to ensure delegation is safe is the Guidelines for Nursing Delegation by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). This organization provides a list of documents that discuss the criteria and nuances of the delegation of responsibility in the medical field. Additionally, guidelines that are installed directly in a medical facility should be taken into account. This aspect is critically important because healthcare workers must follow all the requirements set to ensure the facility’s high-quality, safe, and efficient operation.
When delegating responsibilities, advanced practice nurses must follow specific rules and responsibilities to preserve the quality of services performed and limit the possibility of errors. National Guidelines for Nursing Delegation define the sequence of this process, which medical specialists must follow.
Thus, it is noted that “the delegate must accept activities based on their competence level, maintain competence for delegated responsibility, and maintain accountability for delegated activity” (NCSBN, 2019, p. 3). For advanced practice nurses, it is necessary to determine the nurse or nurse assistant who will be responsible for delegated duties. Moreover, they must ensure they comply with the delegation policies established in the healthcare institution where the activity is performed.
The responsibility of an advanced practice nurse also includes a certificate that the specialist to whom the duty concerning blood contamination is delegated has the necessary amount of knowledge and work experience. This aspect will minimize possible errors and negative consequences (Crevacore et al., 2023). The following rule is the evaluation of the actions of the delegation process. This step will help verify the correctness of the delegate selection and the procedures being performed and improve the decision-making process (Walker et al., 2021). It is critically important that the advanced nurse is accessible to the specialist to whom the responsibilities have been transferred. This criterion is necessary to answer emerging questions and provide the necessary assistance.
One of the ways to confirm the understanding of the delegated task is to receive verbal confirmation. This may imply the completion of the tasks assigned to the specialist. Moreover, asking questions about delegated tasks is essential, as it will also show that nurses are aware of the responsibility put before them. Regarding evaluating delegated activity after its completion, it is possible to monitor the results obtained and their compliance with the expected or existing ones. This step is especially valuable when assessing the situation with blood contamination in the healthcare facility.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when delegating responsibilities in the event of a blood culture contamination problem in a medical institution, it is necessary to follow certain rules and requirements to ensure safety. This is because this problem can have a negative impact not only on the hospital and its employees but also on patients whose well-being may be at risk. The execution of this assignment gave me a greater understanding of the importance of following the rules of delegation of duties and the responsibility that is implied in this action. I will incorporate this into my role as a nurse, as I think it will significantly improve it.
References
Crevacore, C., Jacob, E., Coventry, L. L., & Duffield, C. (2023). Integrative review: Factors impacting effective delegation practices by registered nurses to assistants in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(3), 885-895. Web.
NCSBN. (2019). National guidelines for nursing delegation. Nursing world. Web.
Walker, F. A., Ball, M., Cleary, S., & Pisani, H. (2021). Transparent teamwork: The practice of supervision and delegation within the multi‐tiered nursing team. Nursing Inquiry, 28(4). Web.