Assignment sheet
Assignment sheet
Assignment: refers to a written delegation of duties in the care
of group of patients by trained nursing personnel assigned to the unit
based on their job description, knowledge, skills, and patient nursing
needs.
What are Principles of assignment system?
Decide before the delegation of assignment.
Be specific in the delegation assignment.
Keep informed after the delegation assignment.
1-Decide before the delegation of assignment:
What is to be delegated?
To whom the work is delegated considering
ability, experience and number of nurses
available.
What are performance standards?
Time acquired to achieve delegated work.
Type of services and routines.
Availability of equipment and supplies.
2- Be specific in the delegation assignment:
Delegated assignment must be in written form, concise,
clear and legible.
Delegated assignment must be posted in an observed area
for all delegated personnel.
Two workers should never be assigned to do the same
task.
Geographic location of patient's rooms must be taken in
consideration when distributing patients on assigned
personnel to prevent waste of time
3-Keep informed after the delegation assignment:
Give periodic reports about delegate task of duties.
Conduct round when something is wrong, discuss it with
the person to whom the task was delegated, and give the
person permission to exercise and certain amount of
adjustment in making decisions to achieve expected
performance standards.
When the delegated assignment is done will the one who
did it must be commended.
Methods of assignment:
1- Case assignment.
2- Function assignment.
3- Team assignment.
4- Primary nursing assignment.
5- Modular nursing assignment.
6- Case management assignment.
The head nurse must know the total nursing needs of each 24 hours
and balance this with the number and type of available personnel.
1-Case Method/Total Patient Care:
It was the first type of nursing care delivery system. In total patient care,
the nurse is responsible for the total care of the patient during the nurse’s working
shift. The RN. Is responsible for several patients. This method used for special
circumstances, where single care is needed “isolation, intensive care units, home
health agencies”.
Advantages:
1. Consistency in carrying out the nursing care plan.
2. Patient needs are quickly met as high number of RN. hours are spent on the
patient.
3. Relationship based on trust is developed between the RN and the patient’s
family.
4. Assigning patients is simple, direct and does not require the planning.
5. The lines of responsibility and accountability are clear.
6. The level of care stable during the nurse’s time on duty.
Disadvantage:
1. It can be very costly.
2. The patient has a different nursing approach each shift,
often resulting in confusion for the patient.
3. When the nurse is too inexperienced or inadequately
prepared to provide total care to the patient.
4. This method requires highly skilled nurses.
2-Functional Nursing method:
It is a task-oriented method where a particular nursing function
is assigned to each staff member. The medication nurse,
treatment nurse and bedside nurse are all products of this
system. For efficiency, nursing was essentially divided into
tasks, a model that proved very beneficial in case of shortage of
nurses. The key idea was for nurses to be assigned to tasks, not
to patients.
Advantages:
1. 1- A very efficient way to delivery care.
2. Could accomplish a lot of tasks in a small amount of time
3. Staff members do only what they are capable of doing
4. Least costly as fewer RNs are required
5. Some workers feel more secure in the dependent role necessary to
functional care.
6. It is that each staff member has an opportunity to become extremely
efficient in performing the one or two tasks in which she specializes.
Disadvantages:
1. Care of patients become fragmented and depersonalized.
2. Patients do not have one identifiable nurse.
3. Very narrow scope of practice for RNs.
4. Leads to patient and nurse dissatisfact
Remember:
Dependent patient:
Patient's condition is critical.
Patient needs close observation
Patient needs total assistance in daily living activity (positioning, moving or
eating).
Baby less than two years.
Semi dependent patient:
Patient needs partial assistance in positioning, moving or eating.
Child from 2-6 years.
In dependent patient:
Patient's condition is stable.
Patient depends on himself
Patient does not need assistance in daily living activity.
Child older than 6 years.
