Patient must understand the consequences of donating their body, and be able to make a decision based on that.
Key features of competence:
The patient should be able to:
· Understand what donation is (purpose and nature) in simple language
· Understand the main benefits and disadvantages and alternatives
· Retain this information long enough to make an effective decision
· Make a free choice
When the person contacts the institution to which they are donating their body, they must be rational. While cognitive impairment and mental illness do not necessarily mean someone is incompetent, and neither do irrational decisions, in the case of donating their body, it is generally accepted that they should not be suffering from an addiction or a mental disorder as it may impact their rationality.
In medical treatment, an evaluation of competence may have been carried out through a thorough medical assessment including mental and cognitive function.
Savulescu, Julian and Kerridge, Ian (2001) Competence and consent, in, Medical Journal of Australia 17th Sept/2001/v175 n6 p313-315
http://www.anatomy.unimelb.edu.au/aboutus/donorprogram/faq.html
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