OBJECTIVE: To study extent of knowledge and acceptance of hemocomponents and hemoderivatives, fresh and stored, by Jehovah's Witnesses and also propose bioethical tools for any ethical and moral conflicts identified in their relationship with physicians and dentists. METHODS: A questionnaire was used to interview 150 Jehovah's Witnesses who attend "Salões do Reino" in the Distrito Federal, Brazil. The questionnaire was directed towards information on socio-demographic aspects related to the use (or not ) of hemocomponents and hemoderivatives by those interviewed and also approach of healthcare professionals with patients of this belief. RESULTS: 74% believe that the use of blood causes more harm than benefits to health - refusal is essentially based on the Bible 96% do not support hemocomponents, but 76% support hemoderivatives in specific situations, showing that personal understandings do exist; 80% feel morally offended with use of stored blood and only 45% with fresh blood, confirming the religious interpretation that fresh products are in general more accepted; according to 83% of the interviewees dentists do not ask about patients' religion, whereas 71% of physicians do, showing little professional concern about this aspect. CONCLUSION: Jehovah's Witnesses are seen by their "moral outsiders" (here physicians and dentists) as the religious group that simply "does not use blood". Although, several blood treatments are nowadays permitted,. it does not deprive them from a free conviction to refuse blood treatments. Their particular understandings frequently extend the list of blood prohibitions and, consequently, the number of moral conflicts, when considering that physicians and dentists usually do not ask about a patient's religion.
Jehovah's Witnesses; Blood component transfusion; Blood substitutes; Bioethics; Personal autonomy; Professional autonomy
