CNA Quality Assurance & Improvement 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The PDSA cycle stands for:
- Plan, Develop, Study, Assess
- Plan, Do, Study, Act (Correct answer)
- Prepare, Deploy, Survey, Adjust
- Prevent, Detect, Solve, Apply
Correct answer: Plan, Do, Study, Act
PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) is a widely used quality improvement framework for testing and implementing changes.
Question 2: Which federal agency oversees quality standards and inspections in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing facilities?
- OSHA
- The Joint Commission
- CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) (Correct answer)
- CDC
Correct answer: CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
CMS sets the Conditions of Participation and oversees state survey agencies that conduct nursing facility inspections.
Question 3: During a care conference, staff review a resident's Minimum Data Set (MDS). The MDS is primarily used to:
- Determine a resident's room assignment
- Assess clinical needs and trigger quality indicators for care planning (Correct answer)
- Calculate staff overtime pay
- Track visitor sign-in records
Correct answer: Assess clinical needs and trigger quality indicators for care planning
The MDS is a standardized clinical assessment tool that drives care planning and generates quality indicator data for CMS reporting.
Question 4: A nursing facility's quality committee wants to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Which action is MOST effective?
- Increase the frequency of catheter use
- Conduct routine catheter necessity reviews and promote removal when possible (Correct answer)
- Limit fluid intake for catheterized residents
- Avoid documenting catheter presence to reduce paperwork
Correct answer: Conduct routine catheter necessity reviews and promote removal when possible
Regular review and early removal of unnecessary catheters is the evidence-based strategy most effective for reducing CAUTIs.
Question 5: A CNA observes a coworker skipping hand hygiene before resident care. The BEST action is to:
- Say nothing to avoid conflict
- Remind the coworker about hand hygiene and report if it continues (Correct answer)
- Perform the coworker's duties yourself
- Write an anonymous note and leave it on the coworker's locker
Correct answer: Remind the coworker about hand hygiene and report if it continues
Peer accountability is part of quality culture; a direct, respectful reminder supports infection control and resident safety.
Question 6: Which quality improvement strategy focuses on reducing variation and defects by using statistical analysis?
- Lean methodology
- Six Sigma (Correct answer)
- Root cause analysis
- FMEA
Correct answer: Six Sigma
Six Sigma uses statistical tools to identify and reduce process variation and defects toward near-perfect performance.
Question 7: A resident's family member complains that the resident smells of urine when they visit. This complaint is BEST categorized as:
- An irrelevant personal opinion
- A quality-of-life concern that should trigger a care plan review (Correct answer)
- A housekeeping issue only
- A complaint that requires no follow-up if staff disagree
Correct answer: A quality-of-life concern that should trigger a care plan review
Family observations about odor signal potential lapses in personal care, dignity, or incontinence management requiring care plan evaluation.
CNA Quality Assurance & Improvement 3
The PDSA cycle stands for: