HI HCR150

Urges the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to revise Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16, Chapter 89 to prohibit registered nurses from delegating the interpretation of diagnostic laboratory results to unlicensed assistive personnel.

Cites that 12 million people annually are affected by medical diagnostic errors in the U.S., with an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 deaths per year from misdiagnosis complications.

Notes that 62 percent of laboratory results and 36 percent of imaging results are overlooked by healthcare providers, and that women and minorities are 20-30 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed.

References the National Council of State Boards of Nursing guidelines confirming that licensed nurses cannot delegate nursing judgment or critical decision-making activities.

Specifies that current Hawaii law allows registered nurses to delegate tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel provided delegation does not include assessment, evaluation, and nursing judgment functions.