Caring for Jehovah's Witness Patients

"I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses" tells you about a client's faith — not exactly which treatments they will accept. The faith's position against transfusion of whole blood is unchanged. Since September 2026, each Witness personally decides whether to accept donor red cells, white cells, plasma or platelets, and blood fractions and the use of their own blood are personal decisions too. Clients may therefore answer very differently — and differently from what older textbooks say. The practical-nurse mental model: 1. Ask, don't assume. Find out what this client has decided and make sure it is written down and reported. 2. Check before you give. Before any blood product or blood-derived medication, check the order, the client's documented decisions and the alert. Why: giving a product the client refused is a serious violation of consent. 3. Bleeding is reported early. Without a transfusion safety net, early recognition and early reporting of bleeding protect the client. 4. Respect the decision and keep caring. A capable adult may refuse treatment even if death may result. The RPN continues safe, kind care and reports...