. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jun 15.

Published in final edited form as: Ethics Law Aging Rev. 2004 Aug 1;10:18351506.

Table 2.

Comparison of Methods of Assessing Capacities for each Instrument

Capacity	Method
Understanding
MacCAT	Paraphrasing, “in your own words” of diagnostic and treatment information.
HCAI	Questions about information described in the condition and treatment.
CCTI	Questions about the details of information described in two vignettes.
Appreciation
MacCAT	Asks (i) if there is “any reason to doubt” information about the condition; (ii) whether treatment “might be of benefit”.
HCAI	Asks why the doctor wants the person to take the treatment (in 1^st vignette).
CCTI	Asks (i) preparation: what would need to be done to prepare for the chosen treatment; (a) projection: what life will be like one year after the treatment.
Reasoning
MacCAT	Asks for (i) comparison of treatments; (ii) consequences of treatments; (iii) everyday impact of treatment alternatives; (iv) logical consistency.
HCAI	Asks why a choice made, with query and credit for the risks and benefits considered.
CCTI	Asks to give all the reasons why made choice, credit given for the total number and accuracy of reasons provided.
Expressing A Choice
MacCAT	Rates if there is a clear choice.
HCAI	Rates whether a choice is made.
CCTI	Rates whether a choice is made for each vignette.