Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Prometric Practice Exam 2025 – Your All-In-One Guide to Exam Success!

The importance of avoiding telling the resident that their breathing is being counted primarily rests on the fact that informing them can lead to alterations in their natural breathing pattern. When people become aware that their breaths are being monitored, they may subconsciously change how they breathe either by taking deeper breaths, holding their breath, or becoming anxious about the process. This alteration can compromise the accuracy of the assessment being conducted by the nurse aide.

Maintaining an objective measure of a resident's respiratory rate is crucial for assessing their health status accurately. Any change from the resident's normal breathing pattern can skew the results and mislead healthcare providers regarding potential medical issues. Hence, keeping the observation discreet allows for a more accurate and truthful representation of the resident's respiratory condition.