Macarthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (Maccat-T)

Law and ethical practice require that patients must be competent to make treatment decisions when they accept or refuse medical and mental health interventions. Clinicians often are asked to evaluate patients' competence to consent to treatment, for purposes of determining how medical and psychiatric staff should proceed and whether the treatment decision should be made by someone else on behalf of an incompetent patient. The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) is the product of an 8-year study of patients' capacities to make treatment decisions. It is a semi-structured interview that assists clinicians who are conducting assessments of patients' competence to consent to treatment. The process provides a patient with the information about the medical/psychiatric condition that needs intervention, the type of treatment being recommended, its risks and benefits, as well as other possible treatments and their probable consequences. During this process, the MacCAT-T prompts the clinician to ask questions that assess the patient's understanding, appreciation, and reasoning regarding treatment decisions. The MacCAT-T Manual is an examiner-friendly field manual for conducting actual competency assessments. Large format (8½" x 11") flexible binding. The MacCAT-T Record Form is well designed for recording, rating, and summarizing patient responses on the MacCAT-T. Administering the MacCAT-T is a DVD Video that demonstrates the administration and interpretation of the MacCAT-T. Assessing Competence to Consent to Treatment is a hardcover book that discusses in detail the concept of assessing competence to consent to treatment. Read more