Volume 12, Issue 3: Caring for Patients Who Refuse Blood

Caring for Patients Who Refuse Blood – Treatment without transfusion

You are relieved as back up arrives to help a young woman who was hit by a car resulting in multiple injuries, but then her friend states that the patient is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and will not accept a blood transfusion – what do you do now?

CPD benefit

Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ guidance highlights a patient’s right to refuse to consent to a particular treatment option. Paramedics have long been patient advocates, able to work within the complex web of legal, ethical and moral boundaries found in pre-hospital care. This article uses a case study involving one of Jehovah’s Witnesses (blood transfusion is not accepted in this religion) to provide a framework for patient management and treatment including guidance on consent and the law. It also highlights some of the many options available beyond transfusion to enable you to provide the best and most appropriate care for the patient.

Assessment Answers

To check your answers to the quiz please see the back page of the issue or, to get your CPD Certificate, complete the quiz via the ParaPass app: parapassweb.co.uk.