MacFIE
Pronunciation: MACK-fee
Also written as: MacFIE — MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment
MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment, used to evaluate decision-making capacity in psychiatric patients.
Full Definition
The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) is a structured clinical instrument designed to assess a patient's capacity to make treatment decisions. The tool evaluates four domains of decisional capacity: understanding of treatment information, appreciation of the significance of that information for one's own situation, reasoning about treatment options, and expression of a choice. Originally developed for research, it has become widely used in clinical and forensic settings to assess patients' ability to provide informed consent for psychiatric treatment, particularly when capacity is questioned due to severe mental illness or cognitive impairment.
Usage
Usage note: Often confused with MacCAT-CA; specify the exact tool used in documentation.
In Context
- "The psychiatrist administered the MacFIE to assess whether the patient could consent to electroconvulsive therapy." — capacity assessment
- "Documentation should specify which MacArthur tool was used, as MacFIE and MacCAT-CA serve different purposes." — clinical documentation