Developing a Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Clinical Pathway for Use in Primary Care: a Qualitative Exploratory...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The aging population is increasing the need for decision-making capacity assessments.
• Family physicians require training and tools for these assessments in primary care.
• Existing assessment processes lack standardization within primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a clinical pathway for decision-making capacity assessments tailored for primary care.
• To enhance the integration of these assessments into routine primary care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative exploratory case-study design.
• Focus groups with family physicians and allied health professionals in primary care settings.
• Development of a visual algorithm for the clinical pathway based on participant feedback.

Main Results:

• Participants identified inconsistencies in current assessment practices.
• Feedback indicated the clinical pathway is appealing, straightforward, and adaptable to primary care.
• The pathway is expected to improve teamwork and standardization of assessments.

Conclusions:

• A decision-making capacity assessment clinical pathway can standardize processes in primary care.
• This pathway supports least intrusive and least restrictive patient outcomes.
• Implementation in primary care can benefit community-dwelling older adults.