Decisive Evaluation of Patients’ Assent to Medical Treatments

Abstract

in the daily agenda of Consultation-liaison psychiatry one of the main
reasons a team specialized in mental health is asked to intervene is to evaluate whether the patient has the mental capacity to make decisions related to possible medical treatments, that is, to either accept or reject medical interventions and/or procedures. According to the evidence gathered from recent papers, it is difficult to determine the patient's inability to make decisions. Quite frequently the way this ability is evaluated is not adequately carried out in diverse populations, including older adults. The purpose of this paper is to offer updated information to professionals that need to find an answer to this question. That is why it proposes: aspects related to current state of things, how to evaluate the patients capacity to make decisions regarding their health, the tools that are available and how the decision-making process should be when the ability to decide is affected.