CNA Legal & Ethical Behaviours 4 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A resident refuses a bath on a particular day. The CNA should:
- Force the bath since hygiene is mandatory
- Respect the refusal, document it, and report to the nurse (Correct answer)
- Wait until the resident is sleeping and bathe them then
- Call the family to convince the resident
Correct answer: Respect the refusal, document it, and report to the nurse
Residents have the right to refuse care; the CNA must document the refusal and inform the nurse to ensure proper follow-up.
Question 2: What is the purpose of an incident report in a healthcare facility?
- To punish the staff member involved
- To document unexpected events for quality improvement and legal protection (Correct answer)
- To notify the resident's family immediately
- To remove the staff member from patient care
Correct answer: To document unexpected events for quality improvement and legal protection
Incident reports document accidents or unusual events to support quality improvement, track patterns, and protect the facility and staff legally.
Question 3: A CNA notices a colleague is documenting care that was not provided. This is an example of:
- Acceptable shortcut documentation
- Fraud and falsification of medical records (Correct answer)
- Proper time management
- A minor administrative error
Correct answer: Fraud and falsification of medical records
Documenting care that was not given is fraudulent, legally actionable, and places residents at serious risk of harm.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of protecting a resident's right to privacy?
- Leaving the door open during personal care to monitor the resident
- Closing the curtain and door during perineal care (Correct answer)
- Discussing the resident's care with other residents in the hallway
- Sharing care updates with the resident's neighbor
Correct answer: Closing the curtain and door during perineal care
Closing curtains and doors during intimate care protects the resident's physical and informational privacy.
Question 5: A family member demands that the CNA share details about another resident's condition. The CNA should:
- Share basic information to be polite
- Decline and explain that resident information is confidential (Correct answer)
- Refer the family member to another resident's CNA
- Give the information only if the family member seems trustworthy
Correct answer: Decline and explain that resident information is confidential
Sharing any resident's health information with unauthorized individuals violates HIPAA and the resident's right to privacy.
Question 6: What should a CNA do if asked by a supervisor to perform a task they believe is unsafe or outside their training?
- Perform it anyway to avoid conflict
- Refuse and explain they are not trained or authorized to do it (Correct answer)
- Attempt it and hope for the best
- Ask another CNA to do it without telling the supervisor
Correct answer: Refuse and explain they are not trained or authorized to do it
CNAs have both the right and the responsibility to refuse tasks outside their scope of practice to protect resident safety and their own license.
Question 7: A resident tells the CNA they feel their rights are being violated by staff. What should the CNA do FIRST?
- Dismiss the concern since CNAs cannot handle complaints
- Listen to the resident, take the concern seriously, and report it to the charge nurse (Correct answer)
- Tell the resident to speak to the ombudsman themselves
- Investigate the complaint independently
Correct answer: Listen to the resident, take the concern seriously, and report it to the charge nurse
The CNA should listen respectfully, validate the resident's concern, and promptly report it to the charge nurse so it can be addressed properly.
CNA Legal & Ethical Behaviours 4 5
A resident refuses a bath on a particular day.
The CNA should: