Hearing the voices of children with chronic illness

This qualitative study has aimed to explore children's, parents' and health professionals' experience of childhood chronic illness. Seven families and their professional carers participated in semistrucured interviews. The ch ildren's interviews were augmented with a 'drawing' technique. A grounded t heory approach facilitated data collection and analysis. This paper debates the perceived passivity of the voice of children in health care and resear ch and illustrates data collection methods that seek to give children and o ther disadvantaged groups a voice. The children who participated in this st udy are described as competent interpreters of their world.