Assessing Patients' Capacities to Consent to Treatment

摘要: The right of patients to accept or refuse recommended treatment requires careful reassessment when their decision-making capacities are called into question. Patients must be informed appropriately about decisions and given an opportunity demonstrate highest level mental functioning. legal standards for competence include the four related skills communicating a choice, understanding relevant information, appreciating current situation its consequences, manipulating information rationally. Since is concept can formally determined only in court, clinical examiner's proper role gather decide whether adjudication incompetence required. Treatment impairment functioning sometimes restore patients' capacities, making it unnecessary deprive them powers.