What are activities of daily living (ADLs) that can be delegated to assistive personnel?

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are essential tasks that individuals perform on a regular basis to maintain personal hygiene and overall well-being. Tasks such as grooming, bathing, and feeding fall under this category. These activities are fundamental to a patient's daily routine and can be appropriately delegated to assistive personnel, such as nursing assistants, who are trained to provide this type of support.

Delegating these tasks to assistive personnel allows registered nurses to focus on more complex aspects of patient care, such as assessments and interventions that require a higher level of clinical judgment. Grooming, bathing, and feeding are considered routine and generally do not require advanced medical knowledge, making them suitable for delegation to trained support staff.

In contrast, tasks such as diagnostic tests, medication administration, wound care, intravenous therapy, admission assessments, and patient education require specific training and must be performed by licensed healthcare professionals. These tasks involve critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and a deep understanding of medical principles that assistive personnel typically do not possess. Therefore, while ADLs can be shared to promote efficiency in patient care, more complex procedures must remain under the purview of qualified nurses.