"Holding the child down" for treatment in paediatric haematology: the ethical,legal and practice implications

Very little has been written about involuntary treatment for adult patients and even less about such treatment for paediatric patients. Ethical dilemmas for nurses in such situations have not been clearly articulated and there are no clear guidelines available in this area. The following findings from a qualitative, longitudinal study on the psycho-social aspects of treatment for childhood leukaemia and related diseases are offered as preliminary work on this important professional issue. The feelings of parents when confronted with the necessity of holding their child down so that they may receive probably curative treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia are described and some of the ethical and legal issues confronting nurses who provide these treatments are explored.