%0 Journal Article %A E Baumgarten %T The concept of 'competence' in medical ethics. %D 1980 %R 10.1136/jme.6.4.180 %J Journal of Medical Ethics %P 180-184 %V 6 %N 4 %X Dr Baumgarten analyses three possible justifications for doctors to decide that a patient is 'incompetent' to make or participate in medical decisions affecting him, and points out the difficulties of each. He argues that the degree to which a patient relinquishes control over decision-making which affects him will vary in different circumstances and should be explicitly agreed in the initial doctor-patient contract, rather as it often is when a client employs a professional to invest money on his behalf. %U https://jme.bmj.com/content/medethics/6/4/180.full.pdf