What is the difference between assigning and delegation?

• A. Assigning transfers the authority, accountability, and responsibility of patient care to another member of the healthcare team; Delegation transfers the authority and responsibility to another medical team member while still retaining the accountability.
• B. Assigning transfers only authority; Delegation transfers only responsibility.
• C. Assigning transfers only accountability; Delegation transfers all.
• D. They are the same.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is who holds control and who is answerable for what happens with the patient’s care after you move tasks around. When you assign care, you transfer not just tasks but the authority to direct those tasks, the responsibility for doing them, and accountability for the patient’s overall care to another team member. The person taking over becomes the primary actor for that patient’s care, and the original caregiver steps back from day-to-day responsibility.

When you delegate, you transfer the authority to perform a specific task to another team member, but you keep accountability for the patient’s outcome. You ensure the person is competent, provide direction as needed, and remain answerable for the safety and results of the care once the task is done.

For example, assigning would mean handing over all care duties for a patient to another nurse for a shift, so that nurse is responsible for everything related to that patient during that period. Delegation would be, say, the RN authorizing a wound dressing to be performed by an LPN or UAP, while the RN remains accountable for the patient’s overall care and must supervise and verify the outcome.