Emergency Workers Unclear About How to Assess Capacity to Consent

In emergency medicine, the need to assess a patient’s capacity to make medical decisions about invasive procedures, refusal of care, and leaving against medical advice (AMA) arises daily. In a British study, researchers surveyed 86 EM personnel (42 physicians, 21 nurses, and 23 prehospital care workers) about their knowledge of a patient’s capacity to consent to treatment.

The questionnaire asked participants to list the three criteria used to evaluate a patient’s capacity to give valid consent and posed three situational questions regarding treatment of patients without capacity. The definition of capacity was considered correct if respondents listed at least two of the three criteria: (1) to take in and retain the information, (2) to belie…