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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 revealed that age and sex significantly shape healthcare preferences among 6,098 adults ages 50 and over in England, led by Nicholas Steel of the University of East Anglia.
- Researchers utilized data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to address slow progress in integrating patient preferences into routine healthcare decision-making, noting few educational materials 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 preferences, with the research team concluding doctors should treat every consultation as a conversation to elicit individual patient wishes.
- Emphasizing that preferences change over time, Co-author James Banks suggested clinicians require more systematic measures of these diverse views to improve patient outcomes as Britain's population continues to age.
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Total News Sources24
Leaning Left3Leaning Right4Center17Last UpdatedBias Distribution71% Center
Bias Distribution
- 71% of the sources are Center
71% Center
12%
C 71%
R 17%
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