Delegation in Clinical Practice

This article discusses the importance and application of delegation in clinical practice. It explores a real-life clinical experience that required delegation and the lessons learned from it. The article also highlights the implications for professional practice and management.

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DELEGATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Introduction
Management in health care is of importance and ensures that the aims and goals of a
particular health care facilities are achieved. There are various forms of management concepts
that are of importance within a clinical setting. They include delegation, supervision, conflict and
change management. All these are important to ensure that activities run smoothly within the
healthcare facility as well as care provision is carried out efficiently. Delegation is an important
management concept that involves the transfer of a responsibility for the carrying out of a
particular activity from one person to another (Smith & Zeller, 2018). It involves giving
instructions to another person to perform a certain task. The aim of this discussion is to critically
analyze the application of delegation concept within a clinical setting. It will discuss a situation
experienced in clinical practice that required delegation and the lessons learned from the
experience.
Clinical Experience
In clinical practice there is a hierarchy of leadership that helps in the smooth running of
activities. Nursing and healthcare provision should revolve around the patient and the application
of a patient-centered care results in good health outcomes (Siegel et al, 2017). In a hospital
setting, care providers including doctors and nurses are considered as leaders within the
institution hence may need to delegate certain duties for the care of patient. There is a
considerable number of employees that interact within the healthcare setting with an objective to
improve care provision and enhance the healing process and safety of patients. In my clinical
practice as a registered nurse, I have encountered and observed situations that required
application of management concepts to ensure that the care provision process is comprehensive
and complete.

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In one of this situations in clinical practice I observed the chief nurse in my work place
delegate duties to one of my nurse colleagues. In this situation, the patient had been admitted due
to a severe form of ulcerative colitis that had developed to pancolitis. The condition was so
severe that the patient had to undergo a colectomy. The patient was being prepared for surgery
that was due in 10 hours. The chief nurse in this situation delegated one of the nurses the
responsibility of ensuring that the patient does not take any food prior to the surgery in order to
ensure successful outcomes of the surgical process. The nurse was to ensure that the hospital
caterers or visitors do not feed the patient until the surgery is conducted. The patient was also to
be given strict instructions on avoiding solid food prior to the surgery by the nurse who was
delegated that responsibility.
Application of delegation in clinical practice.
Delegation requires keen observation and monitoring to ensure that the delegated duty is
performed (Barrow & McMillan, 2018). In relation to the delegation concept, I would have
handled this situation by first ensuring that I have involved the right person to perform the task. I
would keenly scrutinize the capability of the individual am delegating the responsibility to and
ensure that they are the best people to perform the task. This can be well described as
assessment. It entails looking at the situation at hand and analyzing it so as to choose the right
person suitable for the task (Saqer & AbuAlRub, 2018). I would ensure that the person I delegate
this responsibility to has knowledge of the patient’s condition and is well involved in the care
provision of the patient. The nurse that is to be delegated this duty must also have a good rapport
with the patient at hand. They should be aware of the time the patient feeds and ensure that they
do not take anything. In addition to this, the person I delegate this duty to must know the people
involved in feeding the patient and ensure that they deliver this information to them.

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The next cycle of delegation that is important to apply after assessment in such a clinical
situation would be planning. In this phase, I would analyze the situation and know what goals
need to be met in the process of the delegation. This involves planning on what needs of the
patient should be met (Schoorman, Mayer & Davis, 2016). In this situation, the patient is used to
feeding in the morning in the wards at a particular time. The goals that need to be met in this
situation would be having a successful surgery that would be complicated by prior meals and
feeding. I would therefore ensure that the person being delegated the role is well informed of the
outcomes needed and ensure that I inform them on possible feeding times to ensure the patient
does not feed. This would ensure that they prioritize on what outcomes are needed and aim to
achieving this.
After planning, I would then apply intervene to ensure that the information is clearly
communicated to the delegate and that they understand everything that pertains the task. It is of
importance measure the readiness of the person being delegated any task so as to avoid conflict
of interests (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). I would carefully analyze whether the delegate is interested
in performing the task and if not find someone else to ensure that the job is done accordingly.
There are quite a number of management theories that have been developed over time so as to
assist in the well-functioning of any organization. One of the management theories that is closely
associated with delegation is the classical management theory. In this theory, there is an adequate
division of labor and roles within the organization. Every individual is aware of their duties and
roles and is encouraged to stick to them in order to improve labor outcomes. During delegation,
the manager should delegate duties to those individuals that are well suited to perform the task
and this task should be in their line of work according to the classical theory.
Implications for professional practice and management

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There are several lessons learnt from this experience of delegation concept. The first one
is the fact that in order to ensure best outcomes after delegating a duty, there is need for
evaluation and follow up to ensure that the work is done. This involves engaging the delegate so
as to receive feedback on the task delegated. Follow up ensures that the task delegated is
performed within the correct time frame and with high standards as the right person is chosen for
the task (Hendrix et al, 2018). It ensures that errors in clinical practice are avoided as those
involved in a particular care giving process are held accountable for failure to perform a certain
task. In the process of delegation, there is need for nurses to observe the Singapore nursing board
ethics and code of conduct. Ethical issues in nursing are important in ensuring that care provision
is performed with the highest degree of professionalism and human dignity is preserved
(Schaffer et al, 2016). Delegation is therefore important in management process within clinical
practice and should ensure that patient information is handled with the utmost respect.
Disclosing information of a particular patient during delegation process without consent
from the patient is wrong and is liable to penalty by law. The delegation process involves an
interaction between two or more people. During the process information concerning the patient
may be useful to ensure that the task is performed efficiently and effectively. There is therefore
need to seek consent from the patient in order to pass such information so as not to breach the
confidentiality of patient information. For delegation to be complete, there is need to ensure that
the patient has a deep understanding of what they are supposed to do (Kim & Gu, 2015). In this
clinical situation for example, information regarding the patient’s surgery should be well
elaborated to the patient with simple language and in a clear manner to ensure that the patient
complies with not feeding prior to the surgery.
Conclusion

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In conclusion, there is need for application of various management concepts in clinical
practice. This ensures that care provision achieves the best possible outcomes for the patient.
Delegation is a stepwise process that requires the input of both the manager and the delegate that
is to perform a certain duty (De Vliegher et al, 2016). It involves a series of events that should be
followed keenly in order to produce good results. Delegation involves assessment, planning,
intervening and evaluation, all of which must be incorporated to ensure a complete process.

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