Last resort as a justification for compulsory nasogastric tube feeding of adults with anorexia nervosa

Emma Cave & Rachel Jenkins

Medical Law International2026https://doi.org/10.1177/09685332261424924article
ABDC C
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

Nasogastric tube feeding may be imposed on adults with anorexia nervosa without their consent. Although it can preserve life, it can also cause significant and lasting distress, and it is widely accepted that the intervention should be employed only as a last resort. However, the concept of last resort remains insufficiently defined. Clinical guidance and case law in England and Wales use the term to guide decision-making, but the thresholds by which a particular action can be considered a last resort are varied and ambiguous. Informed by human rights principles, this article articulates the relevant thresholds for last resort decisions relevant to detention, restraint, and high-risk or speculative treatments, clarifying operative meanings by way of a typology.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/09685332261424924

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@article{emma2026,
  title        = {{Last resort as a justification for compulsory nasogastric tube feeding of adults with anorexia nervosa}},
  author       = {Emma Cave & Rachel Jenkins},
  journal      = {Medical Law International},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/09685332261424924},
}

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Last resort as a justification for compulsory nasogastric tube feeding of adults with anorexia nervosa

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.