Five Rights of Delegation

The Five Rights of Delegation is the structured framework the RN uses BEFORE handing off any task. They are: Right Task (is this task appropriate to delegate — stable, routine, predictable outcome?), Right Circumstance (is the patient's current condition stable enough that the task won't require clinical judgment mid-execution?), Right Person (does the delegatee have the legal scope, training, and demonstrated competency for this specific task?), Right Directions/Communication (have you given clear, specific, measurable instructions — what to do, when to report back, and what findings are abnormal?), and Right Supervision/Evaluation (can you provide appropriate oversight and evaluate the outcome?). These five checkpoints must ALL be met — if any single right fails, delegation is inappropriate. The RN retains accountability for the delegation decision itself, even when the task is performed by someone else. This means the RN is answerable for choosing to delegate, not just for the outcome. Delegation is not the same as assignment: delegation transfers a task that is within the RN's own scope to someone who wouldn't independently own that task, while assignment distributes tasks already within each team member's scope.