의사결정능력 도구인 University of California, SanDiego Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC)의 타당도와 신뢰도 평가*

This study aimed to validate one of the tools for assessing decision-making capacity: the University of California at San Diego’s Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC), which is composed of a 10-item scale that includes questions focusing on the understanding and appreciation of information concerning research protocol. The subjects in the study were 30 inpatients and 30 outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and, for comparison, 30 healthy subjects, all of whom received information about a simulated clinical drug trial. Using the MacArthur Competency Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) as a gold standard, inter-rater reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was measured. The ICC for inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.987 to 0.994. The UBACC was found to be a useful and valid instrument for the screening of decision-making capacity before obtaining informed consent. We recommend that it be used not only for schizophrenia patients but also for various vulnerable groups including the elderly or cognitively impaired subjects.