Ethics in IEMT Practice: Answer Guide

Knowledge Check Answer Guide

Use this guide after you have taken the Knowledge Check. It lists every question, the correct answer and a short explanation, and tells you which lesson to revisit if you got one wrong. The quiz is for your own learning, and you can take it as many times as you like.

How to use this guide

  • Take the quiz first, then check your answers here. The pass mark is 70 per cent.
  • For any question you got wrong, read the explanation and go back to the lesson named in it.
  • The answers describe the Association’s policies and the law for England and Wales as at October 2026. Local law may differ, so check the rules where you practise.

Questions and answers

No. Question Correct answer Why
1 Which four principles are commonly used to reason through ethical dilemmas in health and care? Autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice These four principles come from biomedical ethics and are used across health and care to reason about dilemmas. This course adds integrity as a further principle. See Lesson 1.2.
2 Which Association document sets the rules for how you describe IEMT, and your qualifications, in public? The Advertising Standards Policy The Advertising Standards Policy covers claims about evidence and outcomes, qualifications and titles, comparisons, testimonials, social media and AI-generated content. Use the policy table in Lesson 1.3 to find the right document quickly.
3 Which wording about IEMT is most consistent with the Association’s Advertising Standards Policy? IEMT is an emerging technique and the evidence is limited. I can explain what a session involves, but I cannot promise any outcome. Do not state or imply that IEMT is proven, guarantee results, imply rapid or permanent change, or make comparisons you cannot evidence. Describing IEMT as an emerging technique, and explaining your service and process, is accurate. See Lesson 1.4.
4 Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (England and Wales), what should you assume about an adult client? That they have capacity unless it is established that they do not A person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is established that they lack it, and an unwise decision is not, by itself, evidence of lack of capacity. Take all practicable steps to help the person decide. See Lesson 2.1.
5 Which statement best describes valid consent to an IEMT session? It needs capacity, information and voluntariness, and it is an ongoing process Valid consent depends on capacity, adequate information and a free choice, and it is checked again as the work goes on. A form can record consent but does not replace the conversation. See Lesson 2.1.
6 Which of these should you avoid under the Association’s boundary guidance? A sexual or romantic relationship with a current client Avoid sexual or romantic relationships with current clients, and take advice before any relationship with a former client. The other options are good practice. See Lesson 2.2.
7 True or false: confidentiality is absolute, so you can never share information about a client without their written permission. False False. Confidentiality is strong but not absolute. Disclosure without consent may be justified by serious risk, safeguarding, legal compulsion or a vital emergency, and only where it is necessary, lawful and proportionate. Share the minimum, tell the client where it is safe to do so, and record your reasoning. See Lesson 2.3.
8 Under the scope test in the Association’s Scope of Practice Policy, which four things must all be satisfied before you work with a client? Training, competence, insurance and authority All four parts of the scope test must be yes: you must have the training, the competence, the insurance cover and the authority (for example, the right to work in that setting). See Lesson 2.4.
9 A client’s GP says they are medically fit for IEMT. What does this mean for you? It does not oblige you to proceed. If you are in doubt, postpone, take advice and record why proceeding was reasonable Medical clearance is useful information but it does not oblige you to proceed. Keep screening, and if you are in doubt, postpone and take advice. IEMT is non-diagnostic and does not replace medical care. See Lesson 2.4.
10 How should you treat health information that clients give you under data protection law? As special category data, so you need a lawful basis and an additional condition, and explicit consent is the safest default Health data is special category data under the UK GDPR. You need a lawful basis under Article 6 and a condition under Article 9, and explicit consent is the safest starting point. Check whether you must pay the ICO fee. See Lesson 2.5.
11 Which statement about keeping adult client records is correct? UK data protection law sets no fixed period. The Association expects a minimum of five years after final contact, up to seven where justified, and you must be able to justify your choice The UK GDPR does not set a fixed period, so you must choose, justify and document one. The Association’s Scope of Practice Policy gives a normal expectation of at least five years, extending up to seven. Different rules may apply to children and vulnerable adults. See Lesson 2.5.
12 What are reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010? Changes to how you provide your service so that disabled people can use it, as far as is reasonable Service providers, including sole practitioners, must take reasonable steps to change practices, remove or work around physical barriers or provide auxiliary aids so that disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage. See Lesson 2.6.
13 Under Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, what right does a child have? To express their views freely on matters affecting them, with those views given due weight according to their age and maturity Article 12 gives every child who is capable of forming views the right to express them freely in all matters affecting them, and to have those views given due weight. It does not mean that children make every decision alone. See Lesson 3.1.1.
14 True or false: Gillick competence gives an IEMT practitioner clear legal permission to see a 14-year-old without involving a parent. False False. The Gillick case was about doctors giving contraceptive advice and treatment, and how its principle applies to IEMT is unsettled, so it is not clear legal permission. The Association’s Scope of Practice Policy (section 7A) sets no fixed age: a child under 16 may consent for themselves only if they can understand, weigh and give reasons for the decision, judged for this child and this decision and recorded before the first session. If you are in any doubt, treat the child as unable to consent and get written consent from a person with parental responsibility. Either way, check that your insurance covers the age group. See Lessons 3.1 and 3.1.2 and Appendix B.
15 What are the four steps in the Association’s Safeguarding Policy? Recognise, respond, record, refer Recognise (do not wait for certainty), respond (listen, take the person seriously and ask only enough to establish immediate safety), record (a prompt factual account) and refer (to the right statutory route without avoidable delay). See Lessons 3.1 and 3.3.
16 A person tells you something that suggests a child is at risk of serious harm. Which response fits the Association’s Safeguarding Policy? Stay calm, do not promise secrecy, ask only enough open questions to establish immediate safety, record their own words and report to children’s social care or the police without delay Do not wait for certainty, investigate, ask leading questions or confront anyone. Write down what was said in the person’s own words, and refer without avoidable delay. Advice should never hold up a report. See Lesson 3.3.
17 Which approach to testimonials best fits the Association’s Advertising Standards Policy and the wider rules described in this course? Do not ask current or vulnerable clients, obtain valid permission, protect confidentiality, keep the words unedited and never present one person’s experience as proof that others will get the same result A disclaimer does not repair a misleading claim, incentives must be disclosed, and testimonials of cure can breach advertising rules. The ASA upheld a complaint on exactly that basis in 2018. See Appendix C and Lesson 1.4.
18 A client has a distressing reaction after a session. Which response best fits the Association’s Duty of Candour Policy? Make things safe, tell the client promptly and honestly, explain and apologise, then act, follow up, record it and report through the adverse-event route Candour is proactive: make safe, tell, explain and apologise, then act and follow up. An apology is not, of itself, an admission of negligence in England and Wales (Compensation Act 2006, s2), and it never replaces explanation, action or reporting. Never alter records. See Lesson 4.4.
19 True or false: the Association’s Duty of Candour Policy is the same thing as the statutory duty of candour that applies to CQC-registered providers in England. False False. The Association’s duty is a membership and conduct requirement. The statutory duty (CQC Regulation 20) applies to CQC-registered providers in England. Most IEMT practitioners are not CQC registered, but the Association still expects candour from every member. See Lesson 4.4.
20 What does the Association’s Whistleblower’s Charter say about its internal speaking-up route? It must never delay emergency action, safeguarding referrals or reporting required by law The internal route sits alongside, not instead of, emergency action, safeguarding referrals and legal reporting. It does not guarantee statutory protection, and retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith is not acceptable. See Lesson 4.4.
21 A client tells you during a session that they intend to end their life tonight. What is your priority? Stop the procedure, stay with them, assess immediate safety and get urgent help, calling 999 if there is immediate danger IEMT is not a crisis service. Stop the procedure, ask directly, stay with the person, and use emergency or urgent crisis routes such as 999 or the NHS 111 mental health option. The Safeguarding Policy says a crisis is not managed through IEMT or by an Association email. See Lesson 4.5.
22 True or false: if a client reports chest pain during a session, it is reasonable to continue and see whether it passes. False False. The Scope of Practice Policy says not to begin or continue an IEMT procedure when urgent medical assessment is the priority, and the Association’s Medical Crisis Guidelines say that chest pain must always be treated as potentially life threatening. Stop, assess, and call 999 without delay if you are concerned. See Lesson 4.5.
23 Which statement best describes what the Association’s policies say about practising IEMT remotely (online)? It is allowed on conditions: insurance, competence and the law in both locations must permit it, you must be able to see the client’s eye movements and respond safely, and you need an emergency plan. The Association’s published advice urges caution The Standards of Competence (section 8) allow remote work on conditions, and the Scope of Practice and Safeguarding Policies add screening, emergency-plan and safeguarding requirements. Stop if you cannot observe tracking or respond safely. The Association’s Clinical Boundaries article is published advice rather than policy and urges caution, so if in doubt, work in person. See Lesson 4.6.

Next Steps

If you scored below the pass mark, revisit the lessons named above and try again. The Appendices that follow give background reading on the Hippocratic Oath, the Gillick case, the ethics of marketing and the Declarations of Helsinki and Geneva.

This ethics series is produced by The Association for IEMT Practitioners and is intended for professional development purposes. It describes law and guidance for England and Wales as at October 2026 and is not legal advice. Always follow your local law, your insurer’s conditions, safeguarding procedures and your professional judgement.

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