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CMW Tip of the Week: Learn to save time by delegating tasks

Case Management Weekly, August 27, 2008

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This week’s tip comes from Tricia Thomas PhD, RN, the assistant professor and coordinator for the clinical nurse leader program at the University of Detroit Mercy.

Many of us struggle with the demands on our time, particularly when we feel like a great deal of our schedule is spent doing things that don’t require nursing or social knowledge and skill. Delegation is never easy. In fact, the first few times we delegate to another individual, it seems like it takes more time than if we had just done the task ourselves. Nurses, generally speaking, have difficulty delegating for a host of reasons. I think delegation is something many of us heard about during our education, but few of us have been taught to do effectively.
 
Here are two ways we can delegate to get our work done more efficiently:

• If our patients or their families are available, they can help us get things done and we can include them in their care. Making phone calls for equipment or delivery of supplies is something they can readily do. They know their schedules, their address, and their insurance plan numbers.
• Unit clerks or medical records can help with the copying of charts if we anticipate a discharge and are specific about exactly what needs to be copied. Respecting their time and anticipating when a discharge will happen is beneficial. This allows them to fit this work into their day.

 
The important part of delegation is choosing the right task at the right time for the right patient with the right supervision.

Have a tip you’d like to share? Or maybe a question for our experts? Email it to editor jmcginley@hcpro.com.Your thoughts could be featured in the next issue of Case Management Weekly!

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