Rights of Delegation

The Rights of Delegation are a set of guidelines that can help healthcare professionals delegate tasks safely and effectively. The five Rights of Delegation are:

1. Right task: The task being delegated must be appropriate for the delegate’s skills, knowledge, and experience.
2. Right person: The delegate must be competent to perform the task safely and effectively.
3. Right communication: The delegator must clearly communicate the task to the delegate, including the expected outcome, the deadline, and any special instructions.
4. Right supervision: The delegator must provide adequate supervision and support to the delegate, and be available to answer questions.
5. Right evaluation: The delegator must evaluate the delegate’s performance and provide feedback.

Potential errors that can occur with each right of delegation:

• Right task: The delegator may delegate a task that is too complex or dangerous for the delegate to perform safely.
• Right person: The delegator may delegate a task to someone who is not competent to perform it safely and effectively.
• Right communication: The delegator may not clearly communicate the task to the delegate, including the expected outcome, the deadline, and any special instructions.
• Right supervision: The delegator may not provide adequate supervision and support to the delegate, or may not be available to answer questions.
• Right evaluation: The delegator may not evaluate the delegate’s performance or provide feedback.

How to prevent delegation errors:

• Right task: The delegator should carefully consider the skills, knowledge, and experience of the delegate when choosing a task to delegate. The delegator should also consider the complexity and risk of the task.
• Right person: The delegator should assess the delegate’s competence to perform the task safely and effectively. This may involve reviewing the delegate’s training and experience, observing the delegate perform the task, or giving the delegate a competency test.
• Right communication: The delegator should clearly communicate the task to the delegate, including the expected outcome, the deadline, and any special instructions. The delegator should also check for understanding by asking the delegate to repeat the instructions back.
• Right supervision: The delegator should provide adequate supervision and support to the delegate. This may involve checking on the delegate’s progress, providing feedback, and answering questions. The delegator should also be available to help the delegate if needed.
• Right evaluation: The delegator should evaluate the delegate’s performance and provide feedback. This may involve observing the delegate perform the task, reviewing the delegate’s work, or asking the delegate questions about the task.

Example:

A nurse is caring for a patient who is receiving intravenous (IV) antibiotics. The nurse needs to start another IV line on the patient. The nurse decides to delegate this task to a nursing assistant.

The nurse first assesses the nursing assistant’s skills and experience. The nursing assistant has been trained to start IV lines and has successfully started IV lines on other patients. The nurse then clearly communicates the task to the nursing assistant, including the expected outcome, the deadline, and any special instructions. The nurse also checks for understanding by asking the nursing assistant to repeat the instructions back.

The nurse then provides adequate supervision and support to the nursing assistant. The nurse stays with the nursing assistant while the nursing assistant is starting the IV line, and the nurse answers any questions that the nursing assistant has.

After the nursing assistant has started the IV line, the nurse evaluates the nursing assistant’s performance. The nurse observes the nursing assistant to make sure that the IV line was started correctly. The nurse also checks the patient’s vital signs to make sure that the patient is tolerating the IV line.

In this example, the nurse followed all of the Rights of Delegation. The nurse chose a task that was appropriate for the nursing assistant’s skills, knowledge, and experience. The nurse also assessed the nursing assistant’s competence to perform the task safely and effectively. The nurse then clearly communicated the task to the nursing assistant, provided adequate supervision and support, and evaluated the nursing assistant’s performance.

Ethical considerations

When delegating tasks, it is important to consider the ethical implications. Healthcare professionals have a duty to provide safe and effective care to their patients. This duty includes delegating tasks responsibly.

One ethical consideration is the patient’s right to autonomy. Patients have the right to make decisions about their own care. When delegating tasks, it is important to respect the patient’s right to autonomy.

Another ethical consideration is the patient’s right to informed consent. Patients have the right to know about the risks and benefits of any treatment or procedure before they agree to it. When delegating tasks, it is important to discuss the risks and benefits with the patient and to obtain their consent.