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decisional capacity

Decisional capacity is a medicolegal term referring to a person's ability to decide for the type of care he wish to receive. This ability implies that the person is able to understand information that is relevant to making a decision and also able to appreciate the reasonably foreseeable consequences of accepting or refusing the proposed type of care. It should be noted that the same person may have capacity to understand one type of procedure or treatment and not be able to understand others. Only an individual with capacity can give informed consent.


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