Autonomiepräferenzen von Patient:innen in hausärztlicher Versorgung

Background: Respect for patient autonomy is one guiding principle of biomedical ethics. In Germany, only a few studies have investigated autonomy preferences among patients in general practice. Objective: Autonomy preferences and the effects of sociodemographic and health-related characteristics of patients on preferences in general practice should be recorded. The results are intended to provide insights that may help optimize general practice. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients from three general practices in the Hannover region in July and August 2024. In addition to sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, patients’ autonomy preferences were measured using the autonomy preference index. Results: A total of 637 patients participated. The mean age was 52.2 years (standard deviation, SD = 17.2), and 59.7% of the patients were female. Overall, patients demonstrated relatively low participation preferences, with an average of 5.6 (SD = 4), but high information preferences with an average of 2.5 (SD = 4.7). Regression analysis revealed that male gender, higher education, and the presence of a chronic disease were significant predictors of stronger participation preferences. No significant predictors were identified for information preferences. Conclusion: Patients express a clear desire to be informed. The extent to which they wish to be involved in treatment decisions is associated with gender, education level, and the presence of chronic disease. These findings may support general practitioners in tailoring shared decision-making processes to individual patient preferences and in encouraging patients with lower autonomy preferences to engage more actively in their care, thereby potentially improving treatment outcomes.