title: Informed consent in the elderly: assessing decisional capacity.
abstract: Informed consent is a process involving both patient rights and professional responsibilities. A nurses discomfort with an elderly person's ability to make a fully informed choice can be a source of ethical conflict. Assessing mental capacity in this vulnerable patient population is a necessary function of respecting patient autonomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX 76909, USA.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Artnak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D026686:Beneficence; D032882:Comprehension; D003657:Decision Making; D030881:Disclosure; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D028681:Moral Obligations; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D026706:Paternalism; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012945:Social Values