Caring for Jehovah's witnesses

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I am pursuing my BSN. As part of my current class I am researching the difficulties of caring for patients with the Jehovah's witness' beliefs. If anyone has an experience that he/she can share with me about your personal feelings in caring for a Jehovah's witness, I would greatly appreciate it. I am new to the discussion board and look forward to hearing from you.

Specializes in ICU, Med/Surg, Ortho.

The only problem with me is when a pt with a Hgb of 6 refuses blood because of being a JW and they are on Medicaid so they spend 3 weeks in the hospital when if they accepted blood they would be out in 3 days. As taxpayers, should we have to pay extra because of someone's religion? I mean, lawmakers make us wear seat belts or motorcycle helmets because the lack can impact health care costs. I know religion is touchy, but I shouldn't have to subsidize their choice, should I?

Specializes in urgent care, family practice and special.

Wow I am amazed at how long this has gone on.... and at what an interesting turn it just took (stacieRN).

I am just starting nursing school after 13 years in the healthcare field, and am new to this forum. I find this to be a really interesting topic and am so glad that I have gotten to read all of your wonderful and informitive posts.

Thank you all for sharing!

Specializes in Float.

Is it really any different than the pt with COPD or pneumonia who has continued to smoke or the CHF pt who is noncompliant with meds/diet? Or women who continue to have children on the medicaid system? I think we could all easily find cases of patients where the public is paying the bill and the care could be prevented by different decisions on the patients part. It is our job to treat them all fairly.

Specializes in urgent care, family practice and special.

Ummmm Well yes! I would say this really is different. These people aren’t making a choice based on laziness, or habit, or inability to quit something that they are addicted to. They are making a choice based on their sacred beliefs. Hun, if I took what ever religion you are (lets say Christian) and told you that your beliefs were completely wrong or not warranted because you are poor, and your eternal soul will just have to be damned, you would probably fight that to the core of your being. I will gladly pay a little more in taxes to help some one in their time of need and possibly save their soul.

This isn’t a whim decision these people are making. These patients are often times facing death. But as I have seen repeated in this thread quite a few times, it is better to die with your soul intact and clean then to go against God’s word and be sullied. Would you allow some one to force you to go against what you believed to be the word of GOD??? Would you be bullied in to doing something you know in your heart is WRONG because it might be inconvenient to some one else? I’m sure that you are going in to nursing for a very good reason. But let me tell you why I’m here. Sure money is an issue. I have 3 children that I long to give a home to, some place that isn’t crawling with gang bangers and drug users. Some place that isn’t a **** hole. Where they can be safe and cared for and have a little less negative influence in their lives. But hey guess what, I could be a computer geek and give them that with a heck of a lot less heartach. I’m here because I am compassionate and I care about my fellow human beings. Regardless of race, or religion. (I’m what you might call and equal opportunity hater I guess ) I’m here because even after 13 years in the medical field, I still care. I still want to touch the life of another person in need and help them. I want them to have a little better life because I was able to give of myself for them. Hell let’s face it, I want to save the world one person at a time. But while we all know that isn’t realistic, I’m sure as hell gonna try my hardest. I am not a Jehovah’s Witness. I don’t know a lot about their belief system. I am not a “Christian”. And I DO know a whole lot about their belief system. I am who I am. And I believe that no matter what name you choose to call God. No matter what symbol you use to recognize that entity. Whether it be a man, woman, cross, the sun, a little half naked fat guy, a triquita, etc…… There most certainly is a God and your soul is an extremely valuable thing. And I would NEVER ask some one to go against their religion just to make my life a little easier. It is not up to me to judge, it is not up to me to push my beliefs off onto some one else. That is between them and their GOD. My business is to help and comfort in any way possible! You are absolutely correct, it is our job to treat them fairly. And darn it if some one doesn’t want a blood product for any reason at all, I’m not going to give it to them. Because I don’t know what God said a couple of thousand years ago. I wasn’t there. Maybe the Jehovah’s Witnesses have it right and the rest of us are wrong. Maybe we are all a little wrong. Are you willing to take the chance and force your belief system on to some one else? Are you going to be the one to send them straight to hell? I can’t take that chance. I know it’s not easy to not judge. Some days it’s damn hard not to judge some one. I know that when a person on Medicaid comes in with her 5 kids, driving a nice new suv and wearing a ton of gold comes in to see me, it’s REAL hard not to judge that. But I try very hard not to. Because I don’t know everything. And it’s not my place to do so.

I’m sorry if this comes off as rude. I want to educate you, I don’t want to put you down at all. I wish you all the best of luck in your future.

Specializes in Float.

While I appreciate your "education" my point was about the person who said she shouldn't have to "foot the bill". I see a lot of patients where the public have to foot the bill over choices they make that we may not agree with. So where are you disagreeing with me? I think you misunderstood perhaps my point? The poster a few posts back didn't think she needed to pay for someone to be in the hospital longer. I don't think I need to pay the higher sales tax to pay for my state's insurance plan for the people who make poor lifestyle choices either. But it doesn't matter how i feel about that...we still have to treat as nurses... our personal opinions don't matter. There will always be people who make choices be it lifestyle or religion that we may not agree with that will cost the healthcare system extra money.

So I guess I'm dense but I don't get where you are educating me? My point was strictly about the financial side of things. Because I think we feel the same about it.

Specializes in urgent care, family practice and special.

ok 2 things. First, I apologize that my choice of the word "educate" was upsetting and probably not the appropriate word to use. Second, when you posted your reply, I thought that you were the same one who had origonaly posted about the financial aspect of this in the first place. I didn't stop to look at who the next feed that came back to me was from. So I do apologize for climbing on my soap box needlesly and will pay much better attention in the future. I read it as your saying there was no difference in some one making a relegious choice and some one making a bad choice. And I felt very stronly in the point that I do see it differently.:sofahider

Specializes in Float.

No problem..I was just confused lol. I was comparing them from a financial standpoint because as I said there are many cases we have to pay for financially (as a society) that we personally don't see eye to eye with .. you were comparing from more of a moral/ethical viewpoint... and in fact we do see eye to eye ... so no prob :) I appreciate your passion!

While I appreciate your "education" my point was about the person who said she shouldn't have to "foot the bill". I see a lot of patients where the public have to foot the bill over choices they make that we may not agree with. So where are you disagreeing with me? I think you misunderstood perhaps my point? The poster a few posts back didn't think she needed to pay for someone to be in the hospital longer. I don't think I need to pay the higher sales tax to pay for my state's insurance plan for the people who make poor lifestyle choices either. But it doesn't matter how i feel about that...we still have to treat as nurses... our personal opinions don't matter. There will always be people who make choices be it lifestyle or religion that we may not agree with that will cost the healthcare system extra money.

So I guess I'm dense but I don't get where you are educating me? My point was strictly about the financial side of things. Because I think we feel the same about it.

I would like to point out too there are many medical choices patients make that could extend their stay or make use of alternitive therapies. Guess what drs are not always right, its up to the patient for whatever reason to be their own advocate and if they are not comfortable with a procedure or choice a dr makes they have the right to try others. In the instances of Jehovahs witnesses you might want to sit back and think of how their choices have changed the shape of medicine, new technologies are comming out all the time and most are prompted my Jw's however will benifit the whole community, bloodless medicine is becomming more and more popular whole hospitals are becomming dedicated to this, it is by far a safer way to go and coming up with non blood products was infact spear headed if not directly but indirectly by Jehovah's witnesses. In my opinion that is tax dollars well spent.

Specializes in Float.

That is a good point catzy!

Meg,

Thanks so much for being so open and forthcoming with information about your belief's as a Jehovah's Witness. Thank you for the website address and phone number that you provided. I am sure that this info. will be of great benefit to me as I continue my research. I am a great advocate of protecting patient rights and respecting a patients wishes. I am sure that I will learn quite a lot in researching this topic. I appreciate your help.

I am pursuing my BSN. As part of my current class I am researching the difficulties of caring for patients with the Jehovah's witness' beliefs. If anyone has an experience that he/she can share with me about your personal feelings in caring for a Jehovah's witness, I would greatly appreciate it. I am new to the discussion board and look forward to hearing from you.

I would like to point out too there are many medical choices patients make that could extend their stay or make use of alternitive therapies. Guess what drs are not always right, its up to the patient for whatever reason to be their own advocate and if they are not comfortable with a procedure or choice a dr makes they have the right to try others. In the instances of Jehovahs witnesses you might want to sit back and think of how their choices have changed the shape of medicine, new technologies are comming out all the time and most are prompted my Jw's however will benifit the whole community, bloodless medicine is becomming more and more popular whole hospitals are becomming dedicated to this, it is by far a safer way to go and coming up with non blood products was infact spear headed if not directly but indirectly by Jehovah's witnesses. In my opinion that is tax dollars well spent.

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