Elderly patients’ involvement in medical decision-making and its influencing factors: A cross-sectional study

Purpose To examine the degree of involvement of elderly patients in medical decision-making and identify the factors influencing the involvement. Methods 150 elderly participants were recruited from 2023 to 2024. Data on patients’ involvement in medical decision-making, preferred role, satisfaction, social support, and sociodemographic characteristics were collected via self-report questionnaires. Structured multiphase regression analyses were adopted to identify factors that influenced the patients’ involvement. Results The mean overall involvement score was 0.78 (SD = 0.26). Elderly participants who were female (β = 0.092, P = 0.029), had spouses (β = 0.222, P = 0.004) or relatives (β = 0.208, P = 0.030) as primary caregivers, or retired (β = 0.327, P = 0.034) had a significantly higher overall involvement. Conclusions Healthcare professionals should prioritize identifying individuals who exhibit lower levels of involvement in medical decision-making and work towards removing the barriers that impede their active involvement.