I'm a newer nurse, less than a year in. My best friend growing up, and the guy that married my sister (same guy), was a JW (best man I've ever known). I had a Pt last week that was a Jehovah's Witness. I lost her the other night. She had a hmg of 3.0. We all knew what was coming. But she was transferred to CCU (I'm a med-surg-er). She stuck to her guns, but her daughter... it was very hard. I miss them both, because they're both lost to us now. When the church came to see her, her mother and youngest were removed. It was surreal. She gave it away with much conviction. I wish I'd have had the answers, but I didn't. But I miss her. She was so vibrant. Her daughter needs her so much. She's young, and not in the church. I think of her often, now. I suppose this isn't much to the pros, but I tell you what: This was a vibrant person who I lost. She's gone, forever. And I miss her, already. Nursing is a crazy thing.
I'm not particularly religious, but I try my hardest to respect those who are. I've also seen two patients die because they were JW and refused transfusions (and I'm also a newer nurse - we have a largish JW population and my hospital has a bloodless surgery department). When others question their decisions, I just ask, "if you thought that you could stay alive for a little longer by doing X, but that it would forever condemn you to hell, would you do it? If your other option was to assuredly move on to an afterlife that you truly believed in?" If your religion expressly forbids something, and you are a true believer in that religion and its teaching, I understand how you could decide to reject medical care. It gets tricky when the pt is a minor, and getting the courts involved might be the best choice in those circumstances. Adults, though, should have the right to refuse care for whatever reason is important to then. Just my two cents...
These are difficult, painful situations for the "bystanders" when they come up, but this is a choice that competent adult individuals are allowed to make for themselves.
I also lost a pt to this but he was an infant, 6days old, terrible thing, by the time we got the court to intervene it was too late, what I didn't understand was why the parents brought him in anyways if they were going to refuse care, its a shame
Jehovah's Witnesses don't reject all medical treatment, just a few specific interventions (most notably, blood transfusions). I'm sure the parents brought their infant in to get whatever other treatment was available that might save their child. JWs get admitted to hospitals for treatment all the time.
"...When others question their decisions, I just ask, "if you thought that you could stay alive for a little longer by doing X, but that it would forever condemn you to hell, would you do it? If your other option was to assuredly move on to an afterlife that you truly believed in?" ...
I believe that is the crux of the issue. In re: infants? Many parents in this area are also Hispanic, converted to JW, and are occassionally relieved when we got a court order to transfuse--which we could do PDQ. Just had to call CPS, who called the Judge (yes, in the middle of the night) who signed the Order. It would take ~ 45 mins or so.
liberty_bell
133 Posts
You did what you were trained to do as a nurse and respected her beliefs.