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Difficulty: MediumAssignment, Delegation and Supervision

Following the morning bedside report on a progressive care unit, the nursing team, which includes a registered nurse (RN) and an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), begins organizing the shift tasks. Which of the following client care activities is most appropriate for the RN to assign to the UAP?

  1. Assisting a client with chronic Parkinson's disease, who has a documented stable swallowing pattern, with their morning mealAnswer
  2. B
    Instructing a client with a newly prescribed continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine on how to properly adjust the mask
  3. C
    Evaluating the respiratory effort and baseline oxygen saturation of a client who just returned from a bronchoscopy
  4. D
    Determining whether a client's reported incisional pain warrants the administration of an as-needed analgesic medication

Answer

Assisting a client with chronic Parkinson's disease, who has a documented stable swallowing pattern, with their morning meal
The correct answer involves assisting a stable client with a routine activity of daily living (feeding). Because the client has a documented stable swallowing pattern, the outcome is predictable and the task requires no specialized nursing assessment or judgment, making it safe and appropriate to delegate to a UAP.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the role and scope of practice of the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).
Identify that UAPs are trained to perform standard, routine tasks and assist with activities of daily living (ADLs) for stable clients with predictable outcomes.
Understanding scope of practice is essential for safe delegation.
2
Evaluate each task against the Five Rights of Delegation and the core RN responsibilities (Assessment, Clinical Judgment, Teaching, Evaluation).
Identify that teaching, post-procedure evaluation, and pain assessment require RN clinical judgment.
Tasks involving nursing judgment, initial assessment, or patient education cannot be safely or legally delegated to a UAP.
3
Determine the stability and predictability of the client described in the correct option.
The client with Parkinson's disease has a documented stable swallowing pattern, making meal assistance a safe, routine task with a predictable outcome.
Delegation is only appropriate when the client's condition is stable and the risk of complications from the delegated task is minimal.

Key Concept

Delegation of tasks to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP)
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Topics

Assignment, Delegation and Supervision

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