Published • loading... • Updated
Do Older Men and Women Want Different Things From Their Doctors?
Women and adults 75 and older were more likely to avoid risks and experimental treatments, while men more often deferred decisions to doctors, researchers said.
- On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, a study published in PLOS One by Nicholas Steel of the University of East Anglia revealed that age and sex significantly shape healthcare preferences among 6,098 adults ages 50 and over in England.
- Researchers utilized data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to address slow progress in integrating patient preferences into routine healthcare decision-making, noting that few educational materials currently exist specifically for older patients.
- Adults ages 75 and over were more likely than those ages 50 to 64 to avoid risks and experimental treatments, while women prioritized quality of life over length of life more frequently than men.
- Co-Author Dr. Oby Enwo noted that age, sex, and education shape these views, with the research team concluding that doctors should treat every consultation as a conversation to elicit specific patient preferences.
- As Britain's population ages, co-author James Banks suggested that clinicians require more systematic measures of these diverse views over time to improve patient outcomes and ensure shared decision-making reaches everyone equally.
Insights by Ground AI
13 Articles
13 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources13
Leaning Left1Leaning Right3Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution69% Center
Bias Distribution
- 69% of the sources are Center
69% Center
C 69%
R 23%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
