Treatment based in blood in Jehovah's Witnesses patients, ethical-medical-legal conflict

Abstract

Blood-based treatment in Jehovah‘s Witnesses is an important issue regarding the duties and rights of patients and doctors. The legal and ethical framework regarding this conflict was discussed to propose ethical and legal solutions. Through searches of articles, systematic reviews, and internet documents in Spanish, using platforms and search engines (SciELO, LILACS and the National Library of Medicine) for the period 2019-2024. Using keywords: Hospitalization, Forensic Medicine, Transfusion of Blood Components, Jehovah‘s Witnesses, and Involuntary Treatment, 27 articles were obtained using the inclusion criteria. The doctor must accept the decisions of his patients if they have mental capacity. The patient must sign a document that is attached to the clinical record stating the voluntary rejection and understanding of the situation, exempting health personnel from responsibility.