Delegering: möjligheter och hinder

: hur delegering till icke-legitimerad personal påverkar sjuksköterskans professionsutövning

Abstract

Background: Delegation of health care tasks from registered nurse to non-licensed personnel is common. Earlier research has shown that delegation can lead to blurring of the nurse’s role. Aim: To examine how the existence of delegation to non-licensed personnel influences the professional work of registered nurses. Method: Ten scientific articles were studied using content analysis. Results: Three major themes emerged: “Nurses and influence”, “Nurses and interaction” and “Nurses and safety”. Nurses enjoyed sharing their knowledge and appreciated the relief that delegation could entail. However, in a majority of the studies nurses expressed loss of control associated with delegation. Many nurses also showed lack of competence with regard to delegation. Conclusion: Delegation can diminish nurses’ holistic view and control of care situations, which may make it difficult for them to take full responsibility for the care. There is also a lack of knowledge and skill concerning delegation among nurses. Implications: Nurses need to participate more in direct patient care. Delegations should be fewer, and nurses need to reclaim their responsibility for nursing. Nurses also need more education and training in the art of delegating. Further research on delegation is necessary, especially in Sweden.