The nurse admits the client to the hospital after a motor vehicle accident 2 hours ago. Which task should the nurse delegate to the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)?

Question

1. Explain the client's current condition to the family.
2. Ask the client to provide details about the accident.
3. Check for an analgesic on the provider's prescriptions.
4. Report the client's vital signs to the nurse immediately.

Answer 1

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4. A suitable task for the UAP is taking and reporting vital signs because the UAP has received the proper training and education to perform this task safely. The nurse does not delegate the remaining tasks to the UAP because the implementation of those tasks requires nursing judgment and application of the nursing process.
1 and 2. The provider or RN is a suitable member of the health care team to gather data about the accident, to assess the client, and to explain the client's condition to the family because the UAP is not trained or educated to perform these tasks.
3. The UAP may not check the prescriptions for pain medication information because the prescriptions are medical orders and, thus, licensed personnel must read and ve-rify the suitability of the prescriptions for the client first. In addition, information in the medical record is confidential, access to the information is on a "need to know" basis, and the UAP does not need to read the prescriptions.