Authors: Thomas Grisso, Paul S. Appelbaum
One of the most challenging tasks facing clinicians today is the assessment of patients' capacities to consent to treatment. The protection of a patient's right to decide, as well as the protection of incompetent patients from the potential harm of their decisions, rests largely on clinicians'abilities to judge patients' capacities to decide what treatment they will receive. However, confusing laws and the complicated ethical issues surrounding the concept of
competence to consent have made the process of
competence assessment intimidating for many clinicians. Healthprofessionals-physicians, medical students, residents, nurses, and
mental health practitioners-have long needed a concise…
