CNO JURISPRUDENCE EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026 UPDATED EXAM PREP
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉ A man who received severe facial injuries in a motor vehicle crash
arrives in your emergency room (ER). He is unable to communicate.
No next of kin has come with him. A woman calls in distress and
asks if her husband is a patient in your ER. She provides you with
details that match the information on the man's identification. You
believe she is the wife of the man with the facial injuries. Can you tell
this woman that he is in the ER? Answer: Normally, a client would
have an opportunity to request that the hospital not disclose that he
is a client in the facility or his location within the facility. This
information may be given out in this case, however, because it is
reasonably necessary to provide care. Because the law permits
disclosure that a person is a client in a facility, and his/her location
and general health status, you may provide this information to the
woman. PHIPA allows you to contact a friend or relative of an
injured client for consent. You may provide more information if the
woman indicates she is the person who can act as a substitute
decision-maker for consent to treatment.
◉ Your client has reviewed his health record. You answered his
questions to ensure he understood the record, but he wants
corrections made to a consulting physician's note. What do you do?
Answer: The issue is correcting a health record made by another
,health care professional. If the client requested a correction to your
note, and you agreed with the correction the client requested, you
could have the client write a correction and include it with the
record or make the changes yourself. If you did not agree with the
correction the client requested, then you can have the client make a
note and append it to the record. You can then make a separate note
regarding the client's request in the health record. A client does not
have the right to correct an opinion or professional judgment by a
health care professional.
Because this is a note by another health care professional (the
consulting physician), you cannot be certain about the accuracy of
the information that the client wants corrected. You have two
options in this case: you can either contact the health care
professional who wrote the note and have this physician speak with
the client about the corrections; or you can speak with the person
responsible for ensuring compliance with PHIPA in your practice
setting.
◉ You are an OHN. The manager of an employee who is your client
has asked questions about the client's health condition. The
manager has also asked if the client has medical notes to
substantiate absences on particular dates. Can you provide this
information to the manager? Answer: There are two issues here. The
first is what is included in the definition of personal health
information; the second is if a manager has access to personal health
information.
,Medical notes to substantiate the employee's absences may be held
in an employee's health file. If the medical note does not contain
other personal health information (e.g., symptoms, treatment,
diagnosis), then this information can be provided to the manager.
Information concerning accommodation for the employee's needs
may be given so the employer can make provisions to meet these
needs. Accommodation information does not include the nature of
the illness or the diagnosis.
If there is personal health information included in the note, then the
OHN can only provide the information that there were notes to
substantiate the absences on the applicable dates. The manager is
not entitled to any personal health information. This includes
information about the nature of the illness, the diagnosis, the plan of
treatment or any care provided; therefore, you cannot respond to
any questions about the nature of the illness(es) or health
condition(s).
In this example, the nurse is the custodian and is responsible for
maintaining the confidentiality of the client's personal health
information. Providing information to the employer without the
client's express consent is a breach of PHIPA. However, if a client
would like personal health information to be given to the employer,
then the client must give express consent to the nurse. In obtaining
express consent, the nurse needs to clarify exactly which
information the client is requesting be disclosed, and obtain written
express consent that includes the employee's specific request.
, ◉ DEFINITION
means by which the authority to perform a procedure is obtained or
the decision is made to perform a procedure Answer: AUTHORIZING
MECHANISM
◉ DEFINITION
formal process that transfers the authority to perform a controlled
act Answer: DELEGATION
◉ DEFINITION
A client-specific order can be an order for a procedure, treatment,
drug or intervention for an individual client Answer: DIRECT
CLIENT ORDER
◉ DEFINITION
an order for a procedure, treatment, drug or intervention that may
be implemented for a number of clients when specific conditions are
met and specific circumstances exist Answer: DIRECTIVE
◉ DEFINITION
a prescription for a procedure, treatment, drug or intervention
Answer: ORDER
ANSWERS 2026 UPDATED EXAM PREP
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉ A man who received severe facial injuries in a motor vehicle crash
arrives in your emergency room (ER). He is unable to communicate.
No next of kin has come with him. A woman calls in distress and
asks if her husband is a patient in your ER. She provides you with
details that match the information on the man's identification. You
believe she is the wife of the man with the facial injuries. Can you tell
this woman that he is in the ER? Answer: Normally, a client would
have an opportunity to request that the hospital not disclose that he
is a client in the facility or his location within the facility. This
information may be given out in this case, however, because it is
reasonably necessary to provide care. Because the law permits
disclosure that a person is a client in a facility, and his/her location
and general health status, you may provide this information to the
woman. PHIPA allows you to contact a friend or relative of an
injured client for consent. You may provide more information if the
woman indicates she is the person who can act as a substitute
decision-maker for consent to treatment.
◉ Your client has reviewed his health record. You answered his
questions to ensure he understood the record, but he wants
corrections made to a consulting physician's note. What do you do?
Answer: The issue is correcting a health record made by another
,health care professional. If the client requested a correction to your
note, and you agreed with the correction the client requested, you
could have the client write a correction and include it with the
record or make the changes yourself. If you did not agree with the
correction the client requested, then you can have the client make a
note and append it to the record. You can then make a separate note
regarding the client's request in the health record. A client does not
have the right to correct an opinion or professional judgment by a
health care professional.
Because this is a note by another health care professional (the
consulting physician), you cannot be certain about the accuracy of
the information that the client wants corrected. You have two
options in this case: you can either contact the health care
professional who wrote the note and have this physician speak with
the client about the corrections; or you can speak with the person
responsible for ensuring compliance with PHIPA in your practice
setting.
◉ You are an OHN. The manager of an employee who is your client
has asked questions about the client's health condition. The
manager has also asked if the client has medical notes to
substantiate absences on particular dates. Can you provide this
information to the manager? Answer: There are two issues here. The
first is what is included in the definition of personal health
information; the second is if a manager has access to personal health
information.
,Medical notes to substantiate the employee's absences may be held
in an employee's health file. If the medical note does not contain
other personal health information (e.g., symptoms, treatment,
diagnosis), then this information can be provided to the manager.
Information concerning accommodation for the employee's needs
may be given so the employer can make provisions to meet these
needs. Accommodation information does not include the nature of
the illness or the diagnosis.
If there is personal health information included in the note, then the
OHN can only provide the information that there were notes to
substantiate the absences on the applicable dates. The manager is
not entitled to any personal health information. This includes
information about the nature of the illness, the diagnosis, the plan of
treatment or any care provided; therefore, you cannot respond to
any questions about the nature of the illness(es) or health
condition(s).
In this example, the nurse is the custodian and is responsible for
maintaining the confidentiality of the client's personal health
information. Providing information to the employer without the
client's express consent is a breach of PHIPA. However, if a client
would like personal health information to be given to the employer,
then the client must give express consent to the nurse. In obtaining
express consent, the nurse needs to clarify exactly which
information the client is requesting be disclosed, and obtain written
express consent that includes the employee's specific request.
, ◉ DEFINITION
means by which the authority to perform a procedure is obtained or
the decision is made to perform a procedure Answer: AUTHORIZING
MECHANISM
◉ DEFINITION
formal process that transfers the authority to perform a controlled
act Answer: DELEGATION
◉ DEFINITION
A client-specific order can be an order for a procedure, treatment,
drug or intervention for an individual client Answer: DIRECT
CLIENT ORDER
◉ DEFINITION
an order for a procedure, treatment, drug or intervention that may
be implemented for a number of clients when specific conditions are
met and specific circumstances exist Answer: DIRECTIVE
◉ DEFINITION
a prescription for a procedure, treatment, drug or intervention
Answer: ORDER
