How The ICU Environment Differ From The General Medical-Surgical Unit As Far As Assigning Responsibilities For The Unlicensed Assistive Personnel
There is no information about the ICU environment and the general medical surgical unit when considering the responsibilities or the unlicensed assistive personnel. However, when considering the general practice of nurses in states, it is clear that there is no unlicensed assistive personnel allowed in the ICU environment as the patients are high risks and can only be taken care of by licensed personnel.
However, some hospital environments have allowed nursing assistants in the general medical-surgical unit. According to Twigg et al. (2016), it is important to understand the role of assistants in the nursing wards through the study, and there were adverse outcomes in matters such as increased urinary tract infections, failure to rescue, and falls with injury.
This shows the adverse consequences of having the assistants working directly on patients’ care. However, there is an observed decrease in mortality in the wards (Griffiths et al. 2019). The authors noted that with a perfect address of the roles of the assistant and clearly describing their role while working under the direct supervision of the nurses, it could be possible to ensure that there are no adverse consequences to the patients.
Conclusion
Unlicensed assistive personnel is integral to patient care, especially when a registered nurse is not always available to perform the procedure. However, it is also notable that it is paramount for the registered nurse to give instructions on how the procedure should be carried out, as the legal responsibility of caring for the patient is still with the registered nurse.
In the hospital setup, unlicensed assistive personnel is not advocated for as the patients are in less stable conditions, and a small mess-up can cost the life of the patients.
References
Board of Nursing. (n.d). Title 12 Division of Professions and Occupations Article 25 Nurses and Nurse Aides. Board of Nursing. Practice Act and Laws. . https://dpo.colorado.gov/Nursing/Laws
Colorado Association of School Nurses. (2015). Guidance on Delegation for Colorado School Nurses & Child Care Consultants.