Treating Adults who Decline Blood Products (including Jehovah's Witnesses)

Every competent adult patient has the right to decline medical treatment. Patients who make the informed decision to refuse blood products are not necessarily Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) are a religious denomination founded in the United States in 1872 [1]. According to the JW Official Website’s Report of Jehovah’s Witnesses Worldwide there was a peak of 14 382 Witnesses in New Zealand in 2010, giving a ratio of one Witness to 305 people [2].JW are the most rapidly growing religious group in the Western world and their numbers have doubled in the last 16 years [3].

JW generally do not accept transfusion of blood or its major components and some individuals are prepared to die rather than compromise this refusal [1].With the exception of blood transfusion, JW accept and expect the highest standards of medical care and full use of appropriate modern medical technology [1].

Individual patients may have their own conscience-based interpretation of acceptable interventions and may allow transfusion of certain blood components in specific circumstances; hence they should be given the opportunity to discuss this in absolute medical confidence.

Authors

Acknowledgements


About this Canterbury DHB document (47836):
Document Owner:	Julia Czuprynska and Richard Seigne (see Who's Who)
Last Reviewed:	June 2019
Next Review:	June 2022
Keywords:
Note: Only the electronic version is controlled. Once printed, this is no longer a controlled document. Disclaimer The Haematology Department Protocols and Guidelines (the Red Book) are intended as a guide for registered health professionals to communicate guidelines and share best practices with supporting health professionals within New Zealand district health boards. They are not intended to be provided to or used as a reference for patients or non-registered health professionals. All health professionals must exercise their own clinical judgement and use pertinent clinical data when treating patients. The authors and editors of this publication have checked with sources believed to be reliable in their effort to provide information that is complete and in accord with the standards accepted at the time of publication. However, in view of the possibility of human error or changes in medical science, neither the authors, editors, publisher, nor any other party who has been involved in preparing or publishing this work warrants that the information contained in it is accurate or complete in every respect. They therefore have no liability (whether in tort (including negligence) or otherwise) for any loss or damage arising out of any reliance on this information. This publication has been compiled by the staff and contractors of Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) and as such CDHB has copyright for this book. Amendments must be authorised in accordance with the documented process. No release of part of, or all of, this publication to any other party or organisation is permissible without the prior approval of the designated document owner.
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