Jehovah's Witness

In attempting to address Mr. Jackmon's case, ask yourself the following questions if you are the nurse caring for Mr. Jackmon:

1. Where am I on the staircase concerning this patient? How can I move to the next level?
2. How familiar am I and the nursing and medical staff with the religious beliefs, values, and attitudes of people who are Jehovah's Witnesses?
3. What significant differences exist in followers' health beliefs and other Christian traditions? How different is this religion from my own?
4. What feelings and attitudes do I have about Mr. Jackmon's beliefs about receiving blood?
5. How helpful are these attitudes toward the development of cooperative interaction between myself and the patient?
6. Are there alternative ways of treating this patient's hemoglobinemia?
7. On what religious beliefs does Mr. Jackmon base his refusal of blood, despite his need for it?
8. From whom could the nursing staff gain more insight into the patient's healthcare beliefs?
9. What strategies might be useful in meeting the physiological and psychological needs of this patient?
10. What resources might the nursing staff utilize to assist them in meeting this patient's needs?