Mental capacity is the ability to understand, reason, and exercise choice by making informed decisions. Acute and/or critical illness may impact upon the decision making abilities of hospitalised adult patients. Assessment of patients for reduced, fluctuating or absent capacity gives the healthcare team the legal authority to assess best interests and to make treatment decisions without consent under this justification. Qualified nurses are the everpresent professional group in acute and critical care settings. They may initiate assessments of mental capacity which may be influential in the ways that the decision making of patients is facilitated or substituted. There are, however, few studies that focus on processes employed by them in this area in fast-moving clinical settings, although it is recognised that physical illness may have a significant impact upon capacity status.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:691216 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Jones, Sian |
| Contributors | Kenkre, Joyce ; Gill, Paul |
| Publisher | University of South Wales |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentthesis/an-analysis-of-processes-and-strategies-used-by-qualified-nurses-in-assessing-the-mental-capacity-of-acutely-and-critically-ill-hospitalised-adult-patients(849aa416-240e-40f3-8f11-4e36c71ac121).html |
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