CNA Data Analysis & Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CNA notices that a resident's fluid intake has been consistently below the required daily goal for three days. What is the most appropriate action?
- Ignore it since residents control their own intake
- Document the pattern and report it to the charge nurse (Correct answer)
- Increase the resident's IV fluids independently
- Restrict the resident's food until they drink more
Correct answer: Document the pattern and report it to the charge nurse
CNAs must document and report patterns of inadequate intake to the charge nurse so appropriate interventions can be ordered.
Question 2: When recording a resident's output, which measurement should be included in the output total?
- Food consumed at meals
- Urine, emesis, and wound drainage (Correct answer)
- Only urine output
- Oral fluid intake only
Correct answer: Urine, emesis, and wound drainage
Total output includes all fluids leaving the body such as urine, vomitus, wound drainage, and other measurable losses.
Question 3: A CNA is asked to graph a resident's weekly weight changes. The resident weighed 155 lbs, 153 lbs, 152 lbs, 154 lbs, and 151 lbs over five weeks. What trend does this data show?
- Stable weight with no concern
- A gradual overall downward trend requiring monitoring (Correct answer)
- Rapid weight gain requiring intervention
- Normal fluctuation with no pattern
Correct answer: A gradual overall downward trend requiring monitoring
A net loss of 4 lbs over five weeks represents a gradual downward trend that should be documented and reported.
Question 4: Which of the following is NOT typically recorded in a resident's Activities of Daily Living (ADL) report?
- Assistance level needed for bathing
- Resident's personal financial transactions (Correct answer)
- Ambulation distance and assistance required
- Continence status
Correct answer: Resident's personal financial transactions
Financial transactions are not clinical data and are not included in ADL documentation.
Question 5: A facility uses a 1–4 assistance scale where 1 = independent and 4 = total dependence. A resident who needed full assistance last month now scores a 2. What does this change indicate?
- The resident's condition has declined
- The resident has improved in functional ability (Correct answer)
- The scoring system was applied incorrectly
- No change has occurred
Correct answer: The resident has improved in functional ability
A lower score on a scale where 1 is independent indicates improvement in the resident's ability to perform ADLs.
Question 6: When a CNA uses a standardized pain scale (0–10) and documents a resident's pain as 7, what is the significance of using a standardized tool?
- It allows comparison of pain levels across time and between caregivers (Correct answer)
- It replaces the need for verbal communication with the resident
- It is only required for post-surgical patients
- It eliminates the need for nurse assessment
Correct answer: It allows comparison of pain levels across time and between caregivers
Standardized scales provide consistent, comparable data across different caregivers and time points.
Question 7: A CNA observes that a resident's blood pressure readings over the past week have been: 118/76, 122/80, 119/78, 121/79, 120/77. How should this data be characterized?
- Hypertensive crisis requiring immediate intervention
- Consistently within a normal stable range (Correct answer)
- Hypotensive trend requiring fluid replacement
- Irregular readings indicating equipment malfunction
Correct answer: Consistently within a normal stable range
All five readings fall within a normal blood pressure range (less than 130/80) and show minimal variation, indicating stability.
CNA Data Analysis & Reporting 2
A CNA notices that a resident's fluid intake has been consistently below the required daily goal for three days.
What is the most appropriate action?