Capacity in healthcare refers to the patient's ability to make complex medical decisions. Capacity is not the same as competency. Surprisingly, it is not dependent on someone's orientation to person, place, or time.

Capacity is determined by the evaluation of a patient's:

1) Understanding

2) Appreciation

3) Reasoning

4) Communication regarding their medical situation.

Occasionally the patient may have intermittent loss of Capacity. This could be due to any of the following: memory issues, cognitive impairment, an acute illness or possibly delirium, a medication effect, or lack of sleep.

Sometimes capacity returns, but for other patients, they have lost capacity for complex medical decisions. Physicians will assess for the patients to have the 4 components that indicate capacity.