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Decision-Making Capacity

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Abstract

Many diagnostic and treatment options are available in medicine. Determining whether these interventions support a patient’s values or goals requires patient participation in the decision-making. This is the process of informed consent. Decision-making capacity is the patient’s ability to understand and appreciate the nature and consequences of health care treatment decisions. Demonstrating medical decision-making capacity is a required element in the process of informed consent. In this chapter, we will discuss the process of determining decision-making capacity and factors that may influence a patient’s medical decision-making capacity, including “pseudo-incapacity.”

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Acknowledgments

Suzanne B. Murray, MD; Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington

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Correspondence to Jessica Woan .

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Woan, J., Mitchell, K.J. (2020). Decision-Making Capacity. In: Jackson, M., Huang, R., Kaplan, E., Mookherjee, S. (eds) The Perioperative Medicine Consult Handbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19704-9_43

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19704-9_43

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-19703-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-19704-9

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