Assigning responsibility to nursing staff members for providing nursing care to patients is based on consideration of the following seven elements:

1. Complexity of patient care: How involved is the care that is required?

2. Dynamics of the patient's status: How often is the patient's condition changing?

3. Complexity of the assessment: What is required to completely assess the patient's condition?

4. Technology involved: Is the patient being monitored for complex or life threatening problems? Or is complex technology involved?

5. Degree of supervision: What level of supervision is required by the nursing personnel based on their skill and competence?

6. Availability of supervision: Is the appropriate nursing supervision available to provide the degree of supervision determined in number 5?

7. Infection control and safety precautions: To what degree are universal precautions enforced. Are staff competent to carry out emergency, infection control and safety procedures?