As the nurse manager in a public health department, you are implementing a plan to reduce the incidence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the community. Which nursing action will you delegate to health assistants working for the agency?

• A. Supplying injection drug users with sterile injection equipment such as needles and syringes
• B. Interviewing patients about behaviors that indicate a need for annual HIV testing
• C. Teaching high-risk community members about the use of condoms in preventing HIV infection
• D. Assessing the community to determine which population groups to target for education

Answer: (A)

Focusing on delegating tasks that don’t require clinical judgment is key in public health nursing. Distributing sterile injection equipment to injection drug users is a nonclinical, logistics-driven activity that supports harm-reduction goals without needing professional assessment or counseling. A health assistant can handle the straightforward task of ensuring that supplies are available and accessible, under supervision, which helps reduce infection risk and aligns with programmatic goals.

The other actions involve nursing-level responsibilities. Interviewing individuals to determine who should be tested requires risk assessment, privacy considerations, and interpretation of responses. Teaching high-risk community members about condom use involves health education and behavior-change coaching, which requires nursing knowledge and communication skills. Assessing the community to identify target groups for education is a data-driven activity that entails analyzing epidemiologic information and planning interventions, which typically falls under professional nursing practice.