Table 3.

Preferences for decisional control varied between individuals^a

Patient delegates	Shared choice	Patient chooses
P38: …when we reach a way of treatment I prefer to be mostly doctor‐directed but with my involvement so I understand, what is this single or multiple treatment…are there several? Which are the benefits? Which are the downsides…and so on and so forth. Pretty much I feel the more interactions you can have the better. You know? I: Why do you say the doctor should make the final decision? P10:Well, it's certain that it will be with my consent, but I have so much confidence in the physician. I don't have the tools to go beyond the information that I have; he has maybe the more broad technical information. Where he goes, in the end, he will always suggest to me one path or another, and if I don't want it, I think the treatment won't happen. But I have confidence in the medical information, I might not agree with the path because it's scary, for examples the electrodes in the brain, or the medications, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt to make these types of decisions, and I will accept after information.	P14: I would expect the doctor and I, and my spouse, to be involved as a team P32: I think the physician lays out your options and I think that it's up to you both to decide whether this would be best, or better for you, whether it is medication or doing some form of exercise, or climbing mountains or whatever it is. If the options are presented to you then you can both discuss the pros and cons and make (…) an informed decision. P47: Well I think that it should be done together. The doctor works based off of what he perceives from the patient, and it's in talking with the patient that he can learn even more. And that's why, if the patient gives frank and detailed information, well it certainly has to help the guide the doctor to the best solutions for the patient in question.	P26: The ultimate decision should be from the patient. I: So why do you say that? P26:Because he or she is the one who is suffering. They know what they are going through and they should take a chance on anything they want. It's not the doctor. P26′: Yeah, and I think ultimately it's, you know, it is the life of the person, you know? It should be…yeah. If the person, the patient has all his mental capacity then I think it should be…as long as it is…yeah…healthy mind. P25: Oh, the patient being involved in decision making, you're involved in everything. It's your life. I mean, it's not up to…I don't think it's up to…well, it's your decision but it should be discussed with your doctor and you. P45: I think that it comes back to the patient in the end. But after a discussion with the doctor that is sufficiently in depth, if you will. I think that the doctor has to be there to guide the patient to make his own decision. […] So I think that it's up to the physician to be a bit of a guide, and to try and see when he thinks the patient is headed towards the decision on his own.

^aNote we use a spectrum of shared decision making, where responses under “shared choice” indicate an approximately even contribution between physician and patient to the health‐care decision, responses under “patient delegates” indicate the patient prefers the physician to make the final decision, and “patient chooses” indicates the patient is more likely to make the final decision. Individuals did not necessarily adhere to one preference for all decisions.