You are caring for a patient with esophageal cancer. Which task could be delegated to a UAP?

You are caring for a patient with esophageal cancer. Which task could be delegated to a UAP?

• A. Assisting the patient with oral hygiene
• B. Observing the patient's response to feedings
• C. Facilitating expression of grief or anxiety
• D. Initiating daily weighings

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that UAPs can handle routine, non-judgmental tasks that don’t require assessment or clinical decision-making. Assisting the patient with oral hygiene fits this well: it’s a basic comfort measure and hygiene task that supports well-being and dentition, and it doesn’t require evaluating the patient’s status or interpreting symptoms. Observing how the patient responds to feedings requires nursing assessment—watching for signs of choking, aspiration, changes in swallowing, or respiratory status—and interpreting those signs to decide if care needs to change. Facilitating expression of grief or anxiety involves therapeutic communication and psychosocial assessment, which usually falls to a licensed clinician or counselor. Initiating daily weighings involves data collection and monitoring for trends; while a UAP may sometimes take measurements, interpreting weight changes and deciding when to escalate care is typically a nursing responsibility.

The key idea is that UAPs can handle routine, non-judgmental tasks that don’t require assessment or clinical decision-making. Assisting the patient with oral hygiene fits this well: it’s a basic comfort measure and hygiene task that supports well-being and dentition, and it doesn’t require evaluating the patient’s status or interpreting symptoms.

Observing how the patient responds to feedings requires nursing assessment—watching for signs of choking, aspiration, changes in swallowing, or respiratory status—and interpreting those signs to decide if care needs to change. Facilitating expression of grief or anxiety involves therapeutic communication and psychosocial assessment, which usually falls to a licensed clinician or counselor. Initiating daily weighings involves data collection and monitoring for trends; while a UAP may sometimes take measurements, interpreting weight changes and deciding when to escalate care is typically a nursing responsibility.