Restraint in paediatrics: A delicate balance

Abstract

Patient restraint in health care is currently under intense review. There are two disparate groups that should be considered. First, infants and young children are commonly restrained while undergoing simple medical procedures such as venepuncture or immunisation, and this practice may be better framed as ‘hugging’ not ‘holding’. Second, there is a distinct but significant group of children and adolescents with serious psychiatric or organic illness with behavioural disturbances necessitating restraint, who are the primary focus of this paper. Nevertheless, the balance between restraining any young person in health care and causing preventable harm is delicate: any form of child restraint, whether physical, chemical or seclusion, merits ethical reflection and should be undertaken judiciously. All clinicians should prioritise the dignity and privacy of the young person while weighing the vulnerability of this cohort of patients.