The Medico-Legal Approach to the Assessment of Testamentary Capacity: A Systematic Review.

An increase in will challenges on the grounds of lack of capacity and undue influence is anticipated in the face of an imminent transfer of generational wealth by a growing elderly population with a high prevalence of cognitive impairment. Medical experts will be a necessary element of litigation to help the courts make the best legal determinations involving cognitive and psychiatric functions that may affect mental capacity and vulnerability to influence. We conducted the first systematic literature review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses ("PRISMA") guidelines in order to identify articles that addressed a comprehensive medico-legal approach to the assessment of testamentary capacity.