Discussion Overview: Nurse leaders are responsible for ensuring that the standards of care are maintained in their respective clinical settings or departments. There are several potential sources for liability and risk of malpractice among managers. One key aspect of minimizing these risks is appropriate delegation. Effective delegation ensures that tasks are assigned to team members who are competent to perform them, thereby maintaining quality care and reducing the potential for errors. Failure to delegate appropriately can lead to serious patient safety issues and expose nurse leaders to legal and professional risks.

Discussion Prompt: For this week’s discussion, select one of the following topics and identify an example of a situation in which a nurse manager was held legally responsible for patient outcomes or the outcomes of the situation. You may search for an actual case involving liability and risk of malpractice by the nurse or nurse leader or describe a situation from your own nursing practice where this did or could have occurred.

Note: Do not select a scenario from the course text. Select from the topics listed below:

• Assignment, Delegation, and Supervision
• Duty to Orient, Educate, and Evaluate
• Failure to Warn
• Accreditation
• Professional Comportment
• Discharge Planning or Transfers Between Units or Other Healthcare Organizations

Identify a situation related to the above topics, address the following in your response:

• Provide a summary of the situation you have selected including specific examples and background information.
• Articulate what professional standards were not met.
• Identify the role of the nurse and nurse leader in the situation.
• Discuss your thoughts regarding the burden of responsibility and liability that the nurse and nurse leaders assume in their role.
• Explain how appropriate delegation was handled or mishandled in the situation and discuss the importance of delegating tasks effectively to team members.
• Given what you have learned, describe at least two resources, strategies, or support you would use in a similar situation.