Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Mar;79(3):885-895.
doi: 10.1111/jan.15430. Epub 2022 Sep 5.

Integrative review: Factors impacting effective delegation practices by registered nurses to assistants in nursing

Carol Crevacore  1   2 , Elisabeth Jacob  1   3 , Linda L Coventry  1   2   4 , Christine Duffield  1   2   5
Affiliations
Review

Integrative review: Factors impacting effective delegation practices by registered nurses to assistants in nursing

Carol Crevacore et al. J Adv Nurs. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Aim: To identify the evidence on factors that impact delegation practices by Registered Nurses to Assistants in Nursing in acute care hospitals.

Design: An integrative review.

Data sources: Database searches were conducted between July 2011 and July 2021.

Review methods: We used the 12-step approach by Kable and colleagues to document the search strategy. The (Whittemore & Knafl. 2005. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546-553) integrative review framework method was adopted and the methodological quality of the studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs critical appraisal instruments.

Results: Nine studies were included. Delegation between the Registered Nurse and the Assistant in Nursing is a complex but critical leadership skill which is impacted by the Registered Nurse's understanding of the Assistant in Nursing's role, scope of practice and job description. Newly qualified nurses lacked the necessary leadership skills to delegate. Further education on delegation is required in pre-registration studies and during nurses' careers to ensure Registered Nurses are equipped with the skills and knowledge to delegate effectively.

Conclusion: With increasing numbers of Assistants in Nursing working in the acute care environment, it is essential that Registered Nurses are equipped with the appropriate leadership skills to ensure safe delegation practice.

Keywords: assistant in; decision making; delegation; healthcare assistants; integrative review; nurse; nursing; unregulated healthcare worker.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Albsoul, R. A. M. (2019). Investigating missed nursing care in an Australian acute care hospital: An exploratory study. Queensland University of Technology.
    1. Allan, H. T., Magnusson, C., Evans, K., Ball, E., Westwood, S., Curtis, K., Horton, K., & Johnson, M. (2016). Delegation and supervision of healthcare assistants' work in the daily management of uncertainty and the unexpected in clinical practice: Invisible learning among newly qualified nurses. Nursing Inquiry, 23(4), 377-385. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12155
    1. American Nursing Association. (2012). ANA's principles for delegation by registered nurses to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af4f2/globalassets/docs/ana/ethics/princi...
    1. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation. (2018). ANMF Guideline: Delegation by registered nurses. http://anf.org.au/documents/policies/G_Delegation_RNs.pdf
    1. Bellury, L., Hodges, H., Camp, A., & Aduddell, K. (2016). Teamwork in acute care: Perceptions of essential but unheard assistive personnel and the counterpoint of perceptions of registered nurses. Research in Nursing & Health, 39(5), 337-346. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.21737

LinkOut - more resources