In medical decision-making, which statement about capacity and competency is correct?

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Multiple Choice

In medical decision-making, which statement about capacity and competency is correct?

In medical decision-making, capacity is a clinical judgment made by healthcare professionals. It is decision-specific and time-specific, and you assess whether the patient can understand relevant information, appreciate the consequences of their choices, reason about options, and communicate a clear choice. Competency, by contrast, is a legal determination made by a court. It may affect who can make decisions on behalf of the patient and can lead to appointing a surrogate or guardian. A person can be assessed as having capacity for a specific medical decision while a court could determine they lack general competency for legal acts. So the statement that capacity is a clinical assessment and competency is a legal determination is the best description.

In medical decision-making, capacity is a clinical judgment made by healthcare professionals. It is decision-specific and time-specific, and you assess whether the patient can understand relevant information, appreciate the consequences of their choices, reason about options, and communicate a clear choice.

Competency, by contrast, is a legal determination made by a court. It may affect who can make decisions on behalf of the patient and can lead to appointing a surrogate or guardian. A person can be assessed as having capacity for a specific medical decision while a court could determine they lack general competency for legal acts.

So the statement that capacity is a clinical assessment and competency is a legal determination is the best description.

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