Definition
Decision-making capacity is a medical term that affirms a patient’s ability to make informed decisions about his or her health care at a particular point in time (American College of Physicians 2005).
The physician is responsible for explaining the proposed intervention and the reasons for making the recommendation as well as disclosing the risks, benefits, and alternatives. The patient is expected to understand, weigh the options with respect to his or her own values and goals, and express a preference to the physician (Chow et al. 2010).
Background
Any diagnosis or treatment that compromises mental function may be associated with incompetence. Patients with impaired competence are commonly found in medical and surgical inpatient units and most commonly among infectious and neurological patients (Appelbaum 2007). Patients with dementias, stroke, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder may have high...
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References
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Hong, J.P., Park, S. (2015). Evaluating a Patient’s Decision-Making Capacity. In: Papadakos, P.J., Gestring, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Trauma Care. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_216
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_216
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