MacArthur

The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) provides a semi-structured assessment format for evaluating abilities related to the decisional capacity of subjects in clinical research. Four component abilities of a decisional capacity standard are assessed: understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and choice. Administration of the instrument begins with the disclosure of selected information about a

Mental health professionals often conduct evaluations to assist courts in determining whether a criminal defendant is competent to participate in the adjudicatory process. A variety of instruments have been developed to help structure these forensic assessments; this entry describes one of the more contemporary competence assessment instruments, the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Criminal Adjudication (MacCAT-CA). In

The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) is an instrument designed to assess decision-making capacity. Designed as part of the MacArthur Competence Treatment Competence Study, a multiyear, multisite effort named for the well-known philanthropic foundation, the tool operationalizes established elements of competent decisions. The semistructured instrument, which can be completed within 20 to 30