Assessing mental capacity

ABSTRACT

The issue of assessment of capacity has gained a paramount importance in day to day clinical settings. With the introduction of Human Rights and other related legislations, capacity of the patients for accepting treatment or medical interventions and making decisions for health and other related issues have assumed even more importance in current clinical practices. This paper describes the principles about assessment of capacity for the clinicians for assessing mental capacity in their patients with reference to the guidelines as recommended by current legislations in UK