IHSS Health, Safety, and Emergencies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which personal protective equipment (PPE) should an IHSS provider use when assisting a recipient with wound care?
- A face mask only, since the wound is not near the face
- Gloves and a mask if there is a risk of splashing bodily fluids (Correct answer)
- No PPE is needed if the recipient is family
- Gloves alone are always sufficient for any wound care task
Correct answer: Gloves and a mask if there is a risk of splashing bodily fluids
Standard precautions require gloves for contact with any wound, and a mask or eye protection when splashing of bodily fluids is possible.
Question 2: A recipient's care plan requires range-of-motion exercises. The recipient says their joint feels painful today. What should the provider do?
- Complete the exercises as planned since they are required by the care plan
- Skip exercises entirely and do not report the complaint
- Do not force the joint, note the complaint, and report it to the supervisor (Correct answer)
- Increase the intensity of exercises to work through the pain
Correct answer: Do not force the joint, note the complaint, and report it to the supervisor
Pain during range-of-motion exercises can indicate injury or inflammation; the provider should not force movement and must report the change in condition.
Question 3: What is the safest method for an IHSS provider to lift a heavy object from the floor to avoid injury?
- Bend at the waist and use back muscles to lift quickly
- Keep the back straight, bend at the knees, and lift with leg muscles (Correct answer)
- Lean forward and use momentum to swing the object upward
- Ask the recipient to help lift the object to share the weight
Correct answer: Keep the back straight, bend at the knees, and lift with leg muscles
Bending at the knees with a straight back transfers the lifting effort to the stronger leg muscles, protecting the provider's spine from injury.
Question 4: A recipient begins having a grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizure. What should the provider do?
- Hold the recipient down firmly to prevent injury from convulsions
- Place a hard object between the recipient's teeth to protect their tongue
- Clear the area of hazards, cushion the head, and time the seizure (Correct answer)
- Give the recipient water immediately after the convulsions stop
Correct answer: Clear the area of hazards, cushion the head, and time the seizure
During a seizure, the provider should protect the recipient from injury by clearing the area, cushioning the head, and timing the event to report to medical staff.
Question 5: An IHSS provider notices a recipient has developed a new rash after starting a new medication. What is the correct action?
- Apply over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream to the rash
- Document the rash and report it to the care coordinator or supervisor immediately (Correct answer)
- Wait a week to see if the rash resolves on its own before reporting
- Stop the medication immediately without consulting anyone
Correct answer: Document the rash and report it to the care coordinator or supervisor immediately
A new rash following a medication change may indicate an allergic reaction and must be documented and reported promptly for medical evaluation.
Question 6: Which of the following is the correct hand-washing technique for IHSS providers?
- A quick 5-second rinse with water only between tasks
- Wet hands, apply soap, scrub all surfaces for at least 20 seconds, rinse, and dry (Correct answer)
- Use hand sanitizer only, as it is more effective than soap and water
- Wash hands only after completing all care tasks for the day
Correct answer: Wet hands, apply soap, scrub all surfaces for at least 20 seconds, rinse, and dry
Effective handwashing requires soap and at least 20 seconds of scrubbing all hand surfaces to remove pathogens between care tasks.
Question 7: A recipient who uses oxygen therapy wants to smoke a cigarette. What must the IHSS provider do?
- Allow smoking in a well-ventilated area to reduce fire risk
- Turn off the oxygen, step outside, then allow the recipient to smoke
- Firmly decline and explain that smoking near oxygen is a serious fire and explosion hazard (Correct answer)
- Leave the home when the recipient smokes to avoid secondhand smoke
Correct answer: Firmly decline and explain that smoking near oxygen is a serious fire and explosion hazard
Oxygen accelerates combustion dramatically; smoking near an oxygen source creates a serious fire and explosion risk that the provider must prevent.
IHSS Health, Safety, and Emergencies 3
Which personal protective equipment (PPE) should an IHSS provider use when assisting a recipient with wound care?