A resident demonstrates capacity to make a treatment choice when they can ...

• A. Explain the medical jargon to the nurse.
• B. Understand the nature of the decision, its risks, benefits, alternatives, and communicate a choice.
• C. Always rely on family to decide.
• D. Refuse all information about options.

Answer: (B)

Capacity to make treatment choices means the resident can understand what the decision involves—the nature of the treatment, its risks and benefits, and available alternatives—and can clearly communicate a choice. This combination shows they can participate meaningfully in informed consent for their own care. It isn’t about translating jargon, which is more about how information is shared, and it isn’t enough to rely solely on family to decide or to refuse information, both of which indicate the person isn’t fully making the decision themselves. Remember that capacity is decision-specific and time-specific: a person might have capacity for one option at one moment and not for another or at a different time.