Question

A patient admitted to the intensive care unit was placed on ventilator support. The nurse caring for this patient identified on the plan of care that one of the outcomes was that the patient would not develop ventilator-acquired pneumonia (VAP). To achieve this outcome, the nurse delegates the following to the unlicensed assistive personnel: Please perform oral care on the patient every 2 hours. In this situation oral care would include using the special swabs we have for our patients on VAP precautions so we can prevent pneumonia. Which of the five rights of delegation did the nurse use?

a.
Right route
b.
Right direction/communication
c.
Right dose
d.
Right supervision

Answer 1

The nurse utilized the 'Right direction/communication' right of delegation by providing clear instructions to the assistive personnel for performing oral care to prevent ventilator-acquired pneumonia.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a patient admitted to the intensive care unit was placed on ventilator support, it is critical to prevent complications such as ventilator-acquired pneumonia (VAP). In this clinical scenario, the nurse used the Right direction/communication as one of the five rights of delegation. The instruction given to the unlicensed assistive personnel was clear, precise, and included the specific tasks of performing oral care every 2 hours using special swabs that are a part of VAP precautions. This delegation is essential in ensuring the pneumonia preventive measures are adhered to, thereby minimizing the risk of VAP developing in the patient.