Decision Capacity Assessment

Welcome to Team-Based Care, a podcast for the interprofessional healthcare team produced by the Office of Continuing Professional Development at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. 

In this episode, we will discuss Decisional Capacity Assessment - what it means, its clinical application, and present clinical pearls. Our guest host for this episode is Dr. Art Walaszek, Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. 

GUEST SPEAKERS

Karola V. Kreitmair: Assistant Professor, Co-Director Path of Distinction in Bioethics, and Vice-Chair of the Hospital Ethics Committee at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health 

Ketty Thertus, M.D: Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health 

Victoria Williams, PhD: UW Health Neuropsychologist, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

SHOW NOTES

Learning Objectives

As a result of participation in this educational activity, members of the healthcare team will be able to:

1. Define the Decision Making Capacity Assessment (DMCA) process.
2. Describe the criteria for when a DMCA should be considered.
3. Explain how a team-based approach can be helpful in determining and addressing incapacity.

Timestamps: 

• 00:00: Introduction
• 03:29: What is decisional capacity? (Dr. Kreitmair)
• 05:24: The four components of decisional capacity (Dr. Kreitmair)
• 10:01: Assessment of decisional capacity in the hospital (Dr. Thertus)
• 15:02: Decisional capacity vs. dispositional capacity (Dr. Thertus)
• 17:40: Intersection of mental health and capacity (Dr. Thertus)
• 20:04: Assessment of decisional capacity in the outpatient setting (Dr. Williams)
• 24:05: The relationship between dementia and decisional capacity (Dr. Williams)
• 27:03: Other kinds of capacity that can be assessed (Dr. Williams)
• 30:20: The role of the Ethics Committee (Dr. Kreitmair)
• 37:30: Clinical pearls (Dr. Williams, Dr. Thertus, Dr. Kreitmair)

Claiming Credit/Episode Evaluation

Texting Function 

Use your mobile phone to text the code shared at the end of the podcast episode to 608-260-7097. 

ICEP Learning Portal

• Visit ttps://ce.icep.wisc.edu/team-based-care-decision-making-capacity-assessment  
• Click on the Register tab, then click the Begin button.
• In the Course Progress section, click on Attendance Code and Start.
• Enter the text code provided at the end of the podcast episode.

Complete Episode Evaluation

We appreciate your feedback! Visit  ttps://ce.icep.wisc.edu/team-based-care-decision-making-capacity-assessment  Click the Register tab, Click the Begin button; In the Course Progress section, click on Episode Evaluation and Start

Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, the University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

 

Credit Designation Statements

For more information about continuing education credit for this episode, visit the “Team-Based Care” podcast site in the ICEP online learning portal at https://ce.icep.wisc.edu/content/team-based-care-decision-making-capacity-assessmen The accreditation for this course expires 6/13/2025. After this date, you will no longer be able to access the course or claim credit.