Ethico-legal considerations in the assessment of capacity
Saunders KE., Suleman M.
The right of an autonomous person to make decisions about their care is central to the practice of medicine. However, we are often faced with situations where someone is unable to make those decisions because of their medical status, mental health or intellectual ability. Here we consider the legal framework for the treatment of individuals who lack the capacity to decide for themselves, and some of the ethical issues that inform how such decisions are made.