Making decisions about life-sustaining medical treatment in patients with dementia. The problem of patient decision-making capacity.
The problem of decision-making capacity in patients with dementia, such as those with early stage Alzheimer's, can be vexing, especially when these patients refuse life-sustaining medical treatments. However, these patients should not be presumed to lack decision-making capacity. Instead, an analysis of the patient's decision-making capacity should be made. Patients who have some degree of decision-making capacity may be able to make a choice about life-sustaining medical treatment and may, in many cases, choose to forgo treatment.
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Center for the Study of Bioethics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226-0509, USA.
D000368:Aged; D026686:Beneficence; D035881:Compensation and Redress; D032882:Comprehension; D003657:Decision Making; D003704:Dementia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D007872:Legal Guardians; D008020:Life Support Care; D016743:Mental Competency; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D028761:Withholding Treatment