 As defined above the term “decisional capacity” refers to the ability of subjects to make medical decisions; primarily, decisions to consent to or refuse medical intervention. Yet somewhat surprisingly, (at least for those new to the topic) there is a large amount of disagreement over terminology in this area, particularly over whether “decisional capacity” and its shortened version, “capacity” are the right terms to use. The other candidate is “mental competence” or just “competence” for short. Disputes about how (if at all) these terms differ can be very confusing and sadly there is no remedy other than familiarity with the various things people have said.