Trivium Professional Ethics and Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A healthcare worker observes a coworker providing substandard care to a client. The most ethical response is to:
- Do nothing to avoid conflict with coworkers
- Confront the coworker in front of the client
- Report the observation to the supervisor (Correct answer)
- Discuss it with other coworkers first
Correct answer: Report the observation to the supervisor
Reporting substandard care protects client safety and is an ethical and professional obligation.
Question 2: Informed consent in healthcare means the client has:
- Signed a form before any treatment
- Received information and agreed to care without coercion (Correct answer)
- Given verbal agreement only
- Allowed family members to decide on their behalf
Correct answer: Received information and agreed to care without coercion
Informed consent requires that clients receive complete information and agree to care freely without pressure.
Question 3: Which document outlines a client's wishes regarding end-of-life care if they become unable to communicate?
- A care plan
- An advance directive (Correct answer)
- A HIPAA release form
- A discharge summary
Correct answer: An advance directive
An advance directive (such as a living will or healthcare proxy) documents end-of-life care preferences.
Question 4: A client with dementia starts to hit the aide during personal care. The aide should:
- Restrain the client to complete the task
- Stop the task, ensure safety, and report the behavior (Correct answer)
- Tell the client they must cooperate
- Ask family members to hold the client
Correct answer: Stop the task, ensure safety, and report the behavior
The aide must stop, ensure both parties are safe, and report the behavior so the care plan can be adjusted.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes a conflict of interest for a home health aide?
- Caring for a client of a different religion
- Accepting a job offer from a current client after discharge (Correct answer)
- Disagreeing with the care plan
- Working overtime on a holiday
Correct answer: Accepting a job offer from a current client after discharge
Entering into personal or business relationships with current or recent clients creates a conflict of interest.
Question 6: When documenting client care, which practice is most important?
- Using abbreviations to save time
- Recording only unusual events
- Documenting accurately, objectively, and promptly (Correct answer)
- Asking a coworker to document if you are busy
Correct answer: Documenting accurately, objectively, and promptly
Accurate, objective, and timely documentation is essential for client safety and legal accountability.
Question 7: A client tells the aide they no longer want to receive treatments prescribed by their doctor. The aide should:
- Convince the client to follow the doctor's orders
- Honor the refusal and immediately notify the supervisor (Correct answer)
- Continue treatments because the doctor ordered them
- Call the doctor directly to report the refusal
Correct answer: Honor the refusal and immediately notify the supervisor
Clients have the right to refuse treatment; the aide must respect this and report it to the supervisor.
Trivium Professional Ethics and Standards 3
A healthcare worker observes a coworker providing substandard care to a client.
The most ethical response is to: