Regan Ann, Sheehy Caitlin
Willow Wood Hospice, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England.
The University of Manchester, Manchester, England.
Nurs Stand. 2016 Nov 30;31(14):54-63. doi: 10.7748/ns.2016.e10652.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 was enacted with the aim of improving the protection provided by the law to the most vulnerable people in society. The principles of the act specify to whom the act can be applied, and how to ensure these individuals are placed at the centre of decision-making about their treatment and care. It covers those people who raise objections to treatments and care proposed by health and social care professionals and, crucially, it offers protection to those who raise no objection. Appropriate application of the act should ensure all treatment and care planned for vulnerable people is in those individuals' best interests. A best-interests decision involves considering the person's past and current written and spoken wishes, listening carefully to those close to the individual and being aware of biases that might influence the consultation process. Nurses have an important role in this process because of their unique position in the healthcare team.
2005年《精神能力法案》的颁布旨在加强法律对社会中最弱势群体的保护。该法案的原则明确了其适用对象，以及如何确保这些人在有关其治疗和护理的决策中处于核心地位。它涵盖了那些对健康和社会护理专业人员提出的治疗和护理方案提出异议的人，至关重要的是，它也为那些没有提出异议的人提供保护。该法案的恰当实施应确保为弱势群体规划的所有治疗和护理都符合这些人的最大利益。符合最大利益的决策需要考虑该人的过去和当前的书面及口头意愿，认真倾听其身边亲近之人的意见，并意识到可能影响咨询过程的偏见。护士在这一过程中发挥着重要作用，因为他们在医疗团队中处于独特地位。
