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Responding to the Growing Need for Medical Experts in Testamentary and Estate Related Capacities: A Course for
J Kirkham1, S B Mitchell2, C Cohen3
1Department of Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine (J.K., C.H.), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute (J.K.), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Objectives:
The objective of this continuing medical education course was to improve the knowledge and skills of physicians in the assessment of testamentary and related capacities.
Methods:
We developed, conducted, and evaluated an accredited medical education course focusing on the role and responsibilities of medical experts in estate litigation and held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in June 2022.
Results:
Participants reported a 65% and 35% improvement in confidence in conducting retrospective and contemporaneous assessments of testamentary capacity, respectively. The overall mean score in the 9 key competencies for medical experts in estate litigation improved by 1.2-points from 3.02 (SD 1.33) to 4.22 (SD 0.74) from pre to postcourse (p <0.05, 95% CI [-1.66, -0.67]).
Conclusions:
This course addresses a significant gap in training and formal education opportunities in testamentary and other related capacities that may contribute to increasing the pool of available and qualified medical experts in estate litigation.
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