title: [Evaluation of capacity for informed consent in psychiatric and neurological patients--proposal of a stepwise decisional procedure].
abstract: Evaluation of capacity for informed consent in psychiatric and neurological patients is assuming increasing importance in clinical practice. After a brief description of legal aspects, a procedural algorithm is presented for evaluation of capacity concerning consent of patients in medical treatment and procedures. This evaluation is based on the investigation and documentation of understanding, voluntariness, and decisional capacity. Relevant deficits of only one of these components in the evaluative procedure exclude capacity for informed consent. The outlined approach is compared with international proposals and discussed with regard to its application in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatische Medizin der Universität Magdeburg. baumann@med.uni-magdeburg.de
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baumann
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000523:psychology*