Medical patients' treatment decision making capacity: a report from a general hospital in Greece.

This study aimed to assess the decision-making capacity for treatment of patients hospitalized in an internal medicine ward of a General Hospital in Greece, and to examine the views of treating physicians regarding patients' capacity. All consecutive admissions to an internal medicine ward within a month were evaluated. A total of 134 patients were approached and 78 patients were interviewed with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) questionnaire.

The Greek version of the MacArthur competence assessment tool for treatment: reliability and validity. Evaluation of capacity for treatment decisions in Greek psychiatric patients.

Background: Patients' informed consent prior to treatment initiation is an essential component of contemporary clinical practice, but sometimes, patients lack decision-making capacity for treatment. Such capacity can be reliably assessed with standardized tools used, and the MacArthur competence assessment tool for treatment (MacCAT-T) is one of the most widely used instruments.

Methods: The objective of this study was to translate the MacCAT-T into Greek and evaluate the Greek version's reliability and validity in psychiatric patients.

Chemical restraint in routine clinical practice: a report from a general hospital psychiatric ward in Greece.

Background: There is a dearth of studies regarding chemical restraint in routine clinical psychiatric practice. There may be wide variations between different settings and countries.

Methods: A retrospective study on chemical restraint was performed in the 11-bed psychiatric ward of the General Hospital of Arta, in northwestern Greece.

Use of coercive physical measures in a psychiatric ward of a general hospital in Greece.

Background: Coercive physical measures are commonly used in psychiatric units throughout the world for the management of severe behaviourally disturbed patients.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the rates of coercive physical measures (seclusion and restraint) used in psychiatric inpatients in the psychiatric unit of a general hospital in Greece.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of all admissions to the psychiatric unit of the University General Hospital of loannina during a six-month period was conducted.

Infections as complications of neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is an uncommon but potentially fatal side effect of antipsychotic drug treatment. Several serious complications have been associated with neuroleptic malignant syndrome, such as acute renal failure, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and aspiration pneumonia. Reports on infections other than aspiration pneumonia appear, from the literature, to be uncommon.