Caring for a woman with intellectual disabilities who refuses clinical diagnostic investigations

A 56 year old woman with moderate intellectual disabilities who lived in a residential care home presented to her general practitioner with iron deficiency anaemia, weight loss, and dyspepsia. [...]the doctor should assess whether any impairment means that she is unable to make the specific decision...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBMJ (Online) Vol. 348; no. jan03 1; p. f7645
Main Authors Heslop, Pauline, Marriott, Anna, Hoghton, Matthew, Jepson, Marcus, Noble, Antonia
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London British Medical Journal Publishing Group 03.01.2014
BMJ Publishing Group LTD
Subjects
Anxiety
Attorneys
Bioethics
CASE REPORT
Case reports
Consent
Criminal investigations
Endoscopy
Hospitals
Intellectual disabilities
Medical diagnosis
Mental competency
Physicians
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Summary:A 56 year old woman with moderate intellectual disabilities who lived in a residential care home presented to her general practitioner with iron deficiency anaemia, weight loss, and dyspepsia. [...]the doctor should assess whether any impairment means that she is unable to make the specific decision, at that specific time, when there is optimal support to maximise her chances of being able to do so. For cases relating to serious or major decisions on medical treatment, the legal department of the NHS trust or other organisation responsible for the patient's care will usually make the application to the Court of Protection.
ISSN:0959-8138
1756-1833
1756-1833
DOI:10.1136/bmj.f7645