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Difficulty: MediumAssignment, Delegation and Supervision

During a busy mid-morning shift, multiple client needs arise simultaneously on a general surgical floor. The healthcare team consists of a registered nurse (RN) and an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Which of the following interventions is most appropriate for the RN to delegate to the UAP?

  1. Emptying a closed-suction wound drainage device and documenting the output volume for a client who is three days post-operative.Answer
  2. B
    Administering the first oral feeding to a client who experienced a transient ischemic attack and has a weakened gag reflex.
  3. C
    Demonstrating the proper technique for splinting an abdominal incision during coughing to a client preparing for discharge.
  4. D
    Obtaining the initial set of vital signs for a client who just arrived from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) experiencing tachycardia.

Answer

The correct answer is emptying a closed-suction wound drainage device and documenting the output volume for a client who is three days post-operative.
Delegating the task of emptying a closed-suction wound drainage device and documenting the output is appropriate because it is a routine, standard procedure with a predictable outcome. The client is three days post-operative and clinically stable, so this intervention does not require independent nursing judgment, initial assessment, or teaching.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the scope of practice for an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).
The UAP can perform standard, unchanging procedures on clients who are clinically stable.
Delegation decisions must ensure the task does not require independent nursing judgment.
2
Evaluate each task to determine if it requires nursing assessment, clinical judgment, or teaching.
Feeding a client with a weakened gag reflex requires swallowing assessment. Demonstrating a technique is a form of teaching. Obtaining initial vital signs on a tachycardic patient requires assessment of an unstable client.
The RN cannot delegate tasks involving the core nursing process (Evaluate, Assess, Teach).
3
Select the task that fits within the UAP's authorized scope of practice.
Emptying a surgical drain and recording the output volume is a routine task with predictable outcomes.
This task adheres to the Five Rights of Delegation and is safe for the UAP to perform.

Key Concept

Delegation and Scope of Practice
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Topics

Assignment, Delegation and Supervision

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