In the SCI patient care scenario, which action is suitable for delegation to a patient care tech?

In the SCI patient care scenario, which action is suitable for delegation to a patient care tech?

• A. Obtain a blood pressure.
• B. Turn the patient independently.
• C. Assess the IV site.
• D. Do initial teaching for incentive spirometer.

Answer: (A)

The idea behind delegation is that tasks given to a patient care tech are routine, do not require clinical judgment, and follow a set protocol. Measuring a blood pressure fits this, because it’s a standard vital sign check that the tech can perform, document, and report to the nurse without interpreting the result. The nurse remains responsible for analyzing the reading and deciding if any action is needed. Turning the patient, assessing the IV site, and teaching for incentive spirometry all involve assessment, clinical interpretation, or patient education, which require a licensed clinician or more specialized training. Turning might be done with assistance under policy, but it isn’t as clearly a routine, non-interpretive task as taking vital signs, and IV site assessment and teaching demand professional judgment.

The idea behind delegation is that tasks given to a patient care tech are routine, do not require clinical judgment, and follow a set protocol. Measuring a blood pressure fits this, because it’s a standard vital sign check that the tech can perform, document, and report to the nurse without interpreting the result. The nurse remains responsible for analyzing the reading and deciding if any action is needed.

Turning the patient, assessing the IV site, and teaching for incentive spirometry all involve assessment, clinical interpretation, or patient education, which require a licensed clinician or more specialized training. Turning might be done with assistance under policy, but it isn’t as clearly a routine, non-interpretive task as taking vital signs, and IV site assessment and teaching demand professional judgment.