CPCA Ethics & Confidentiality in Care Services 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client's adult child calls and asks you to reveal details about their parent's medical condition. What is the most appropriate response?
- Share all information since family members are entitled to know
- Politely decline and explain that you need the client's permission first (Correct answer)
- Tell them to ask the client directly and hang up immediately
- Provide a brief summary to avoid family conflict
Correct answer: Politely decline and explain that you need the client's permission first
Client health information is confidential and may only be shared with others when the client has given explicit permission.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'informed consent' in personal care aide services?
- The client signs any form the agency provides without needing explanation
- The client agrees to care after receiving a clear explanation of what will be done (Correct answer)
- The aide decides what care is best and proceeds without discussion
- Consent is assumed if the client does not object
Correct answer: The client agrees to care after receiving a clear explanation of what will be done
Informed consent requires that the client understands and agrees to the proposed care before it is provided.
Question 3: You observe that a coworker is accessing a client's personal file without a work-related reason. What should you do?
- Ignore it since coworkers are all bound by the same confidentiality rules
- Report the behavior to your supervisor as a potential privacy violation (Correct answer)
- Confront the coworker loudly in front of other staff
- Review the file yourself to understand what they were looking at
Correct answer: Report the behavior to your supervisor as a potential privacy violation
Unauthorized access to client records is a privacy violation and must be reported to a supervisor.
Question 4: A client asks you to keep a secret about a bruise they say was caused by a family member. What is the correct action?
- Honor the client's request and keep it confidential
- Report your observations to your supervisor per mandatory reporting requirements (Correct answer)
- Ask the family member directly about the bruise
- Document the bruise in your personal notes only
Correct answer: Report your observations to your supervisor per mandatory reporting requirements
Suspected abuse must be reported to a supervisor regardless of a client's request for secrecy, as mandatory reporting laws supersede confidentiality.
Question 5: Which action by a personal care aide VIOLATES professional boundaries?
- Listening empathetically when a client shares personal concerns
- Accepting a small gift offered by a client during a holiday
- Borrowing money from a client because you are short on bills (Correct answer)
- Addressing a client by their preferred name
Correct answer: Borrowing money from a client because you are short on bills
Borrowing money from a client is a serious boundary violation that creates an inappropriate personal and financial entanglement.
Question 6: Under HIPAA, which of the following is considered protected health information (PHI)?
- A client's general neighborhood
- A client's diagnosis and treatment history (Correct answer)
- The name of the agency that employs you
- The general hours you work each week
Correct answer: A client's diagnosis and treatment history
HIPAA protects individually identifiable health information, including diagnoses, treatment details, and any data that links health status to a specific person.
Question 7: A client with dementia becomes agitated and refuses care. Which ethical principle guides your response?
- Beneficence — proceed with care because it is in their best interest
- Autonomy — respect their refusal and consult your supervisor for guidance (Correct answer)
- Justice — treat them the same as all other clients and continue
- Non-maleficence — force care quickly to prevent further agitation
Correct answer: Autonomy — respect their refusal and consult your supervisor for guidance
Autonomy requires respecting a client's right to refuse care; when a person with dementia refuses, the supervisor or care team must be consulted for next steps.
CPCA Ethics & Confidentiality in Care Services 2
A client's adult child calls and asks you to reveal details about their parent's medical condition.
What is the most appropriate response?