オーストラリアにおけるDelegationに関する考察

delegation

看護総合科学研究会誌

Recently in Japan, a part of medical procedure such as suctioning of sputum has been discussed in that unregulated care providers should be allowed to suction patients suffering from ALS and similar disorders who are home care based. This has a potential to improve quality of life of the patients, but the potential risk of harm to the patients due to lack of training of unregulated care providers may increase. Australia, like Japan, has a shortage of qualified nursing staff; therefore, delegating tasks to unregulated care providers would be a part of nursing care. However, due to the diffrences of health systems in both countries, it would require comprehensive adjustment in Japan; delegation has a possibility to provide a solution for the lack of qualified nurses. This paper analyses legal, economical, and ethical issues regarding unregulated care providers performing invasive procedures, and concluded that the issues relating to appropriateness of care for delegation for unregulated care providers, RN/Midwife's preparedness deciding tasks for delegation, and education for unregulated care providers and their responsibilities must be addressed before the application of the concept of delegation in Japan.