Jehovah’s Witnesses as Patients

Abstract

Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious group that accepts the divinity of Christ but differs from mainstream Christianity on some doctrines.1 The importance of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the health care profession is that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that blood transfusions are prohibited. A proper understanding of this belief is necessary for health care providers to appropriately care for Jehovah’s Witnesses as patients. The following discussion assumes that the patient is a competent adult. Issues of children, incapacitated patients, or incompetent patients and their guardians are beyond the scope of this discussion.