Problem
You are doing a clinical placement on a busy medical ward, and you are working with a Registered Nurse (RN). Both of you attend to Belle (aged 23 years) who is being admitted for a surgical procedure and requires a blood transfusion intra-operatively. The family identify their religious faith as Jehovah's Witness, where the belief in the administration of blood and blood products via transfusion is against their faith. Belle also has a hearing disability and uses sign language to communicate and is also able to lip read. The RN assumes that Belle is unable to communicate for herself and talks only to her mother who is in attendance for admission.
The RN turns to face the mother and makes the following comment, "Hello there - who do we have here today? Thanks for bringing Belle in for her admission. How long has she been unwell for? Do you know? I have her chart here with me and just want to ask you some questions regard her medical history if that's OK? It says something here about her not consenting to a blood transfusion.... we'll need to sort that out, because she's going to need it you know!"
After completing Belle's admission, you walk back to the nurse's station with the RN. The RN turns to you and states "What a weird religion that stops you from having a blood transfusion. Why would anyone want to be in that religion?"
What is the culturally unsafe practice in this case study for bystander interventation?