Which statement best reflects delegation criteria?

Which statement best reflects delegation criteria?

• A. Daily care tasks should be delegated only when unpredictable and dangerous
• B. Daily care tasks should be delegated only when predictable and not dangerous
• C. Nursing process tasks are best delegated to UAPs
• D. All tasks requiring clinical judgment are delegable

Answer: (B)

Delegation criteria focus on safety and scope of practice. Delegate tasks that are routine, predictable, and do not require nursing assessment or clinical judgment to UAPs. Daily care tasks fit this when they are predictable and not dangerous, such as assistance with bathing, grooming, or ambulation for a stable patient, as long as the task doesn’t require assessing changes in condition or applying nursing knowledge beyond routine care. Nursing process tasks—those that involve assessment, diagnosing, planning, evaluating, or any intervention necessitating clinical judgment—remain the responsibility of the RN. Not all tasks that involve clinical reasoning are delegable; if a task requires evaluating a patient’s condition, adjusting care plans, or complex decision-making, it should not be delegated. Therefore, the statement that daily care tasks should be delegated only when they are predictable and not dangerous reflects safe practice and appropriate use of delegation.

Delegation criteria focus on safety and scope of practice. Delegate tasks that are routine, predictable, and do not require nursing assessment or clinical judgment to UAPs. Daily care tasks fit this when they are predictable and not dangerous, such as assistance with bathing, grooming, or ambulation for a stable patient, as long as the task doesn’t require assessing changes in condition or applying nursing knowledge beyond routine care.

Nursing process tasks—those that involve assessment, diagnosing, planning, evaluating, or any intervention necessitating clinical judgment—remain the responsibility of the RN. Not all tasks that involve clinical reasoning are delegable; if a task requires evaluating a patient’s condition, adjusting care plans, or complex decision-making, it should not be delegated.

Therefore, the statement that daily care tasks should be delegated only when they are predictable and not dangerous reflects safe practice and appropriate use of delegation.