Free HHA Patient Rights and Ethics Questions and Answers 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Financial exploitation of a patient by an aide includes:
- Providing care during overtime hours
- Borrowing money from a patient, accepting gifts, or misusing the patient's funds (Correct answer)
- Purchasing groceries with the patient's money per their request with a receipt
- Reminding the patient to pay their bills on time
Correct answer: Borrowing money from a patient, accepting gifts, or misusing the patient's funds
Financial exploitation — borrowing money, accepting gifts of value, or misusing patient funds — is a form of elder abuse and a fireable, criminal offense.
Question 2: An advance directive:
- Is a form the aide fills out for the patient
- Is a legal document in which a person specifies their wishes for medical treatment if they become unable to make decisions (Correct answer)
- Can only be created after hospitalization
- Has no effect on home health care
Correct answer: Is a legal document in which a person specifies their wishes for medical treatment if they become unable to make decisions
Advance directives (including living wills and healthcare proxies) are legal documents that guide care decisions when a patient loses capacity. Home health providers must honor them.
Question 3: Which action violates a patient's right to privacy?
- Knocking before entering the patient's room
- Discussing a patient's condition with a neighbor who asks how the patient is doing (Correct answer)
- Closing the door during personal care
- Only sharing health information with authorized care team members
Correct answer: Discussing a patient's condition with a neighbor who asks how the patient is doing
Discussing patient health information with anyone outside the authorized care team — including neighbors, acquaintances, or the patient's friends — violates HIPAA and the patient's right to privacy.
Question 4: Restraint of a patient without a physician's order and proper protocol is considered:
- Appropriate if the patient is a fall risk
- False imprisonment and physical abuse, which are illegal (Correct answer)
- A standard safety precaution
- Acceptable if the family requests it verbally
Correct answer: False imprisonment and physical abuse, which are illegal
Using any physical or chemical restraint without a physician's order and proper documentation constitutes false imprisonment and abuse, regardless of intent.
Question 5: An ombudsman in long-term and home care services is:
- The patient's physician
- An advocate who investigates and resolves complaints made by or on behalf of patients about their care (Correct answer)
- A home health aide supervisor
- A billing specialist
Correct answer: An advocate who investigates and resolves complaints made by or on behalf of patients about their care
Long-term care ombudsmen are federally mandated advocates who help residents and home-care recipients resolve complaints about quality of care and rights violations.
Question 6: Mandatory reporting laws require home health aides to report:
- Only what is specified in the care plan
- Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of patients to the appropriate state agency or supervisor (Correct answer)
- Only incidents that the patient asks to be reported
- Financial concerns to the billing department only
Correct answer: Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of patients to the appropriate state agency or supervisor
Home health aides are mandatory reporters in all US states. They must report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation even if they are not certain — suspicion is sufficient to trigger reporting.
Free HHA Patient Rights and Ethics Questions and Answers 3
Financial exploitation of a patient by an aide includes: