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Parents know best: or do they? Treatment refusals in paediatric oncology

Angela J Alessandri1

  • 1Department of Haematology/Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and the School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. angela.alessandri@health.wa.gov.au

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
|September 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Treatment refusal in pediatric oncology threatens patient-physician relationships. The harm principle can guide oncologists when considering judicial intervention for cases involving unsubstantiated therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Medical Ethics
  • Family Law

Background:

  • Treatment refusal by families in pediatric oncology, though infrequent, can disrupt the therapeutic relationship.
  • Parental decision-making authority in medical settings is significant but not absolute.
  • The rise of 'natural therapies' may increase future refusals of evidence-based cancer treatments.

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