Who is responsible?

Jerico, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2006

Hi folks,
If another RN offers to help with one of your patients and does the task incorrectly, who is at fault, you or the other RN?
Thanks for your help.
Classicaldreams

You can delegate your task to another RN but you CANNOT delegate the responsibility for it being done correcly.

MayisontheWay · Jan 15, 2006

Actually, the answer is...you CANNOT delegate tasks to other nurses. You ASSIGN tasks to other nurses and the tasks are accomplished on THEIR license, not yours. I just went to a delgation class, and this was a topic of great interest. You delegate to unlicensed personnel and then it's your responsibility also.

Common misconception!

May

Jerico, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2006

Actually, the answer is...you CANNOT delegate tasks to other nurses. You ASSIGN tasks to other nurses and the tasks are accomplished on THEIR license, not yours. I just went to a delgation class, and this was a topic of great interest. You delegate to unlicensed personnel and then it's your responsibility also.
Common misconception!
May

I disagree: Delegating is another term for assigning - but even if you assign a task to another nurse and she screws it up your license is in the web because it is your responsibilty to KNOW if the RN you "assigned" the task to is competent.

Example: The DON of a facility hires an assistant DON to help her. This person is an RN with a license. The assistant DON screws up a task the DON has "assigned" to her. The DON holds just as much accountability as the assistant DON when it comes to a law suit.

The KEY in this whole thing is that when and if you EVER "assign" or "delegate" a task to ANYONE it is YOUR responsibility to be sure the person KNOWS how to do the task and CAN do the task at hand.

Responsibility for a task which was YOURS to perform/accomplish to begin with can NEVER be assigned OR delegated.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 15, 2006

Sorry, but wrong. An RN can delegate to another RN, or an LPN, or unlicensed personnel. Only an RN can delegate. The patient who is assigned to that nurse, is the responsible party first for that patient. And in a court of law, where it counts, that is what they are going to follow.

Example, a med-surg nurse gets floated to an ICU or stepdown, where he or she is responsbile for reading EKG strips on their patient, but do not have the training. Another nurse covers that duty for them, but if an issue arises, first person that they are going to look at in court, is the RN that the patient was assigned to, not the person who was reading the strip for them.

An LPN in charge in a nursing home, can assign patients or jobs, but they cannot delegate.

MayisontheWay · Jan 15, 2006

I stand by what I wrote.

The definitions are not interchangeable. If the nurse accepting the assignment doesn't feel comfortable performing it, she has the right to refuse.

May

Jerico, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2006

Sorry, but wrong. An RN can delegate to another RN, or an LPN, or unlicensed personnel. Only an RN can delegate. The patient who is assigned to that nurse, is the responsible party first for that patient. And in a court of law, where it counts, that is what they are going to follow.
Example, a med-surg nurse gets floated to an ICU or stepdown, where he or she is responsbile for reading EKG strips on their patient, but do not have the training. Another nurse covers that duty for them, but if an issue arises, first person that they are going to look at in court, is the RN that the patient was assigned to, not the person who was reading the strip for them.
An LPN in charge in a nursing home, can assign patients or jobs, but they cannot delegate.

The court is going to LOOK at BOTH the RNs. The RN who lets the RN read the EKG strip FOR her needs to IF that RN is ABLE to read the strip! Yes, she will get nailed if she lets someone do something FOR her and it is done wrong. AND the RN who CLAIMS she CAN read a strip is also gonna get sued along with her.

Lawyers love this. If you as an RN volunteer to do some task for another RN you better darn well be able to DO that task competently.

You CAN'T go into court and say: "Well, I was just doing it FOR her...it was HER task...it wasn't delegated/assigned to me"

The prosecuting attorney will laugh all the way to the bank.

Jerico, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2006

I stand by what I wrote.
The definitions are not interchangeable. If the nurse accepting the assignment doesn't feel comfortable performing it, she has the right to refuse.
May

Of course she has the right to refuse! We as RNs also have the right to refuse to task, delegate, assign ANYTHING to ANYONE we don't feel can do the work/assignment.

Jerico, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2006

AND we as RNs should NEVER let someone DO something FOR us things that are OUR responsibility to see done, be done by someone who can' t do it.

That is how we get sued.

MayisontheWay · Jan 15, 2006

As long as the assigning RN believes that the other nurse is competent and has no reason to suspect otherwise, she will not be held responsible.

Obviously, if it's a new nurse or a nurse she KNOWS cannot perform, there is liability. The OP didn't give any of these details, so I assume the "helping" nurse is otherwise equal.

May

classicaldreams · Jan 15, 2006

As long as the assigning RN believes that the other nurse is competent and has no reason to suspect otherwise, she will not be held responsible.
Obviously, if it's a new nurse or a nurse she KNOWS cannot perform, there is liability. The OP didn't give any of these details, so I assume the "helping" nurse is otherwise equal.
May

Another RN was showing me how to do something. I had seen it done on orientation once, the other RN offered to show me again, and I accepted. Yes, I am a new nurse. The problem at hand is that the other RN mislabeled something.