SynthesisBMC medical informatics and decision making2016
Decision aids to help older people make health decisions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The impact of decision tools during oncological consultation with lung cancer patients: A systematic review within the I3LUNG project.Cancer medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators for shared decision making in older patients with multiple chronic conditions: a systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2021Pooled it
- Do Decision Aids Benefit Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain? A Systematic Review.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2020Pooled it
- Availability and effectiveness of decision aids for supporting shared decision making in patients with advanced colorectal and lung cancer: Results from a systematic review.European journal of cancer care · 2019Pooled it
- Supporting shared decision making for older people with multiple health and social care needs: a realist synthesis.BMC geriatrics · 2018Pooled it
- Talking Mats and self-perceived involvement for service recipients with dementia in Swedish home care services: a randomized controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2026Trial
- Impact of a Digital Decision Aid When Choosing Between Face-to-Face and Guided Internet-Based Psychological Interventions for Depression Among Chinese-Speaking Participants in Hong Kong: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- An online driving decision aid for older drivers reduces ambivalence and regret about driving decisions: Randomized trial.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Trial
- A randomized controlled trial on the effects of decision aids for choosing discharge destinations of older stroke patients.PloS one · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Restricted mean survival time versus conventional effect summary for treatment decision-making: A mixed-methods study.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2023Trial
- Impact of MyDiabetesPlan, a Web-Based Patient Decision Aid on Decisional Conflict, Diabetes Distress, Quality of Life, and Chronic Illness Care in Patients With Diabetes: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Trial
- An education intervention to improve decision making and health literacy among older Australians: a randomised controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2019Trial
- Decision Preparedness and User Experience with a Urinary Incontinence Patient Decision Aid in U.S. Primary Care.International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Prioritizing Equity in Design and Implementation of Consumer-Facing Digital Resources to Support Engagement and Shared Decision-Making.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Evaluation of a Decision Aid in Kidney Care Counseling for Older Adults.Kidney international reports · 2026Article
- Deciding on surveillance colonoscopy: a multi-phase study of a conversation aid for older adults.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
- Design, development, and evaluation of a web-based consultation system for birth after cesarean: a mixed-method study protocol.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- General healthcare preferences for people aged 50 and over in England: English longitudinal study of ageing.PloS one · 2026Article
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDecision aids have been overall successful in improving the quality of health decision making. However, it is unclear whether the impact of the results of using decision aids also apply to older people (aged 65+). We sought to systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical controlled trials (CCTs) evaluating the efficacy of decision aids as compared to usual care or alternative intervention(s) for older adults facing treatment, screening or care decisions.
methodsA systematic search of (1) a Cochrane review of decision aids and (2) MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane library central registry of studies and Cinahl. We included published RCTs/CCTs of interventions designed to improve shared decision making (SDM) by older adults (aged 65+) and RCTs/CCTs that analysed the effect of the intervention in a subgroup with a mean age of 65+. Based on the International Patient Decision aid Standards (IPDAS), the primary outcomes were attributes of the decision and the decision process. Other behavioral, health, and health system effects were considered as secondary outcomes. If data could be pooled, a meta-analysis was conducted. Data for which meta-analysis was not possible were synthesized qualitatively.
resultsThe search strategy yielded 11,034 references. After abstract and full text screening, 22 papers were included. Decision aids performed better than control resp. usual care interventions by increasing knowledge and accurate risk perception in older people (decision attributes). With regard to decision process attributes, decision aids resulted in lower decisional conflict and more patient participation.
conclusionsThis review shows promising results on the effectiveness of decision aids for older adults. Decision aids improve older adults' knowledge, increase their risk perception, decrease decisional conflict and seem to enhance participation in SDM. It must however be noted that the body of literature on the effectiveness of decision aids for older adults is still in its infancy. Only one decision aid was specifically developed for older adults, and the mean age in most studies was between 65 and 70, indicating that the oldest-old were not included. Future research should expand on the design, application and evaluation of decision aids for older, more vulnerable adults.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.