title: The concept of 'competence' in medical ethics.
abstract: Dr Baumgarten analyses three possible justifications for doctors to decide that a patient is 'incompetent' to make or participate in medical decisions affecting him, and points out the difficulties of each. He argues that the degree to which a patient relinquishes control over decision-making which affects him will vary in different circumstances and should be explicitly agreed in the initial doctor-patient contract, rather as it often is when a client employs a professional to invest money on his behalf.
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D032982:Contracts; D003657:Decision Making; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D026706:Paternalism; D010358:Patient Participation; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations