​KembaraXtra – Legal Terms – Patient with Capacity


A patient with capacity is a person who is legally capable of making his or her own medical and personal decisions.


Capacity requires the ability to understand, retain, and weigh relevant information and communicate a decision.


Adults are generally presumed to have capacity unless proven otherwise.


A patient with capacity has the legal right to consent to or refuse medical treatment.


Healthcare professionals must respect the patient’s autonomous decisions even where refusal may lead to serious consequences.