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How Effective Communication Relates to Delegation and Patient Outcomes

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How Effective Communication Relates to Delegation and Patient Outcomes

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Delegation consists of assigning another person a task while maintaining responsibility for said task. To ensure a task is completed, the delegator must confirm the individual receiving the task is knowledgeable, capable, and accepting. Effective communication is crucial to delegation to guarantee both parties understand their expectations (Taylor, 2015). Effective communication techniques include summarizing, uninterrupted listening, constructive criticism,
and focused and opened questioning (Griffiths, 2017).

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Delegation and Effective Communication

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Griffiths, J. (2017). Person-centered communication for emotional support in district nursing: SAGE and THYME model. British Journal of Community Nursing, 22(12), 593-597. doi:10.12968/bjcn.2017.22.12.593

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In nursing school we are taught how to communicate effectively with patients, but what if we applied this knowledge to our colleague communication?

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Delegation and Poor Communication

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Ineffective Nurse - Patient Care Assistant Communication

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This video simulation portrays a hypothetical scenario reflecting non-collegial communication between a Registered Nurse (on left) and Patient Care Assistant (on right) during morning hand-off and delegation. (Patient name and description used in this simulation is entirely fictional.)

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Conclusion

Delegation is a skill that many nurses struggle with. What task to delegate, how to delegate, and what amount to delegate can get confusing. Effective communication is necessary for accurate delegation and requires a team mentality where every member knows the other's scope of practice (Taylor, 2015). This consists of positive body language, respectful tone, clarifying misunderstood statements, setting clear instructions, and uninterrupted listening (Griffiths, 2017). When a team has shared goals, communication is improved, and patient care and outcomes follow in suit. Finally, delegation and communication are skills that require practice and grace, but when used together are beneficial to everyone (Thomson, Outram, Gilligan, & Levett-Jones, 2015).

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Ellison, D. (2015). Communication skills. Nursing Clinics of North America, 50(Transformational Tool  Kit for Front Line Nurses), 45-57. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2014.10.004

Griffiths, J. (2017). Person-centered communication for emotional support in district nursing: SAGE and THYME model. British Journal of Community Nursing, 22(12), 593-597. doi:10.12968/bjcn.2017.22.12.593

Hughes, M., Kirk, R., & Dixon, A. (2017). How and why nurses' direction and delegation skills should be improved. Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, 23(9), 29-31.

Taylor, K. (2015). Principles of delegation and accountability. Practice Nurse, 45(7), 40-43.

Thomson, K., Outram, S., Gilligan, C., & Levett-Jones, T. (2015). Interprofessional experiences of recent healthcare graduates: A social psychology perspective on the barriers to effective communication, teamwork, and patient-centred care. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 29(6), 634-640. doi:10.3109/13561820.2015.1040873