CHPNA study guide
CHPNA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse Assistant (CHPNA) credential is a voluntary certification for nursing assistants and home health aides who provide direct care to people with serious, life-limiting illness and to their families. It signals that a candidate has met a national standard of knowledge in hospice and palliative care beyond entry-level aide training, and it is typically pursued by aides working in hospice agencies, palliative care programs, long-term care, and private home settings. The CHPNA study guide has 10 sections and about 2,994 words.
01The Hospice and Palliative Care Team and the Role of the Nursing Assistant
Hospice care is comfort-focused, interdisciplinary, and available when curative treatment is no longer pursued or the patient elects a palliative goal. Palliative care, by contrast, can begin at any point in a serious illness alongside curative treatment.
350 words, about 2 min02Patient and Family-Centered Care
Patient- and family-centered care treats the patient and those the patient defines as family as partners. The patient's goals and values drive the plan of care.
249 words, about 1 min03Communication and Cultural Competence
Use plain language, open-ended questions, and active listening. Confirm understanding with teach-back.
271 words, about 1 min04Personal Care and Activities of Daily Living
Personal care includes bathing, oral care, grooming, dressing, toileting, and feeding assistance. In hospice, the purpose is comfort and dignity, not efficiency.
271 words, about 1 min05Nutrition and Hydration
In advanced illness, decreased intake is a natural part of dying. The body can no longer use food and fluid efficiently.
250 words, about 1 min06Mobility, Positioning, and Skin Integrity
Maintain mobility as long as safely possible to preserve function and dignity. Use gait belts, proper body mechanics, and the patient's own strength.
269 words, about 1 min07Comfort and Pain and Symptom Management
Ask about pain in the patient's own words using a simple scale or faces scale. For patients who cannot report, use behavioral cues : grimacing, guarding, restlessness, moaning, withdrawal, or changes in sleep and appetite.
264 words, about 1 min08Psychosocial, Spiritual, and Emotional Support
Dying patients may experience fear, anger, sadness, denial, or acceptance - often in shifting combinations. Families may show grief as irritability, withdrawal, or over-involvement.
249 words, about 1 min09Care in the Final Hours and After-Death Care
Signs may include decreased intake, increased sleep, cool mottled extremities, changes in breathing (Cheyne-Stokes, periods of apnea), decreased urine output, and terminal secretions ("death rattle"). These are expected and generally not distressing to the patient.
287 words, about 1 min10Safety, Infection Prevention, and Emergency Response
Use standard precautions with every patient: hand hygiene before and after care, gloves when contact with body fluids is likely, and safe handling of sharps and soiled linens. Hand hygiene is the single most important measure.
534 words, about 3 min