Question

scholarly paper for leadership in working with unregulated care provider

Answer 1

Leadership in working with unregulated care provider

Leadership is the capacity of someone to lead others or it is the office or status of a leader. Leadership is an essential key factor to deliver successful health services to individual, family and society. Health care sector need the contributions not only from health care professionals such as doctors or nurses but also from Unregulated care providers.

Unregulated care providers ( UCPs) are people who provide health care or other care to clients but are not regulated under the ' Regulated health Professions Act ' . They include employees such ad nursing aids, assistants, home support workers, client care attendant or family members etc. They may provide simple health care services but are not accountable to an external professional organisation or body.

A health care professional should know how to deal and work with the Unregulated care providers ( UCPs). Doctors or Nurses often should act as a leader in providing health care services. Nurses are expected to be the leaders who delegate, supervise and teach the UCPs to provide health care and other care to clients. She has to have an idea about UCPs and the work that can be assigned to UCPs. The duties or care that can be assigned to UCPs are;

* Assisting in Activities of daily living including personal hygiene measures

* Assisting and supervising in client's exercise schedule

* Providing balanced diet for the client

* performing certain skilled tasks such as collecting specimens and administration of medications such as insulin

* checking vital signs

* Encouraging and assisting  health promotion activities

Guidelines for nurse leaders to work with UCPs

There are certain guidelines for the nurses put forth by regulatory agencies or associations regarding how to work with UCPs. A nurse should not expect that a UCP is  competent enogh to do a health carw procedure. She can teach a UCP certain basic procedures that may not need much technical skills such as assisting in personal hygiene measures or exercises.  

Before assigning a procedure, nurse has to ensure that the UCP is competent to perform a certain activity or procedure and she has to verify it . Nurses should give basic knowledge to UCP and teach the simple procedures that essential for Patient's Activities daily living. She has to supervise the UCP in their assigned works and ask for regular report on client care. Nurse has to take a feedback from patient and other family members regarding the performance of UCP.

Nurse leaders are expected to make the plan of care based on on going assessment of client and situation, evaluate the effectiveness of UCP's client care activities or interventions and client's condition. Family member's preference in assigning UCP for certain care also should seek by the nurse. She has to document the delegation before and after the assigned task.

A Registered nurse or Registered Practitioner nurse should not delegate an act that is delegated for them such as an act of drug administration.