D.C. Municipal Regulations (Last Updated: September 13, 2017) |
Title 17. BUSINESS, OCCUPATIONS, AND PROFESSIONALS |
Chapter 17-93. HOME HEALTH AIDES |
Section 17-9313. ASSIGNMENT AND DELEGATION OF NURSING CARE TASKS TO HOME HEALTH AIDES
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9313.1A licensed nurse or health care professional may assign tasks to HHAs that are among the authorized tasks of the HHA listed in § 9315.1.
9313.2HHAs shall not practice independently but shall work under the immediate supervision of a licensed nurse or other licensed health care professional if the supervisor determines that immediate supervision is necessary,or work under general supervision.
9313.3A registered nurse may delegate tasks to HHAs. The delegating registered nurse shall comply with the standards for delegation listed in 17 DCMR § 5415. Nursing care tasks that may be delegated shall be determined by:
(a) The knowledge and skills of the HHA;
(b) Verification of the clinical competence of the HHA by the employing agency;
(c) The stability of the client’s condition, including factors such as predictability, absence of risk of complication, and rate of change in health status; and
(d) The variables in each health care setting which include, but are not limited to:
(1)The accessible resources and established policies, procedures, practices, and channels of communication that lend support to the type of nursing tasks being delegated to the home health aide;
(2)The complexity and frequency of care needed by a given client population; and
(3)The accessibility of a licensed nurse or other licensed health professionals.
9313.4Nursing tasks that inherently involve on-going assessment, interpretation, or decision making that cannot be logically separated from one or more procedures shall not be delegated to the HHA.