Shared decision-making implementation status among dermatologists engaging in medical esthetics: a cross-sectional study in China

Objective: Shared decision-making (SDM) is a collaborative process in which patients and healthcare providers jointly make a medical decision. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the implementation status of shared decision-making among dermatologists engaging in medical esthetics in China and to identify factors associated with the good practice of SDM among them. Methods: From January to June 2023, a total of 1,287 dermatologists engaging in medical esthetics in China were recruited and completed the online interviews about their implementation of SDM based on the Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire for Doctors (SDM-Q-Doc). Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to explore factors associated with the higher SDM score achievement among dermatologists with medical esthetic practice. Results: The median value of the total SDM score was 39, and 48% (621/1278) of dermatologists with medical esthetic practice achieved at least 40 out of 45 scores. Logistic regression indicated that dermatologists aged 40-49 or >= 50 years and those engaging in medical esthetic practice for >= 5 years were more likely to achieve at least 40 out of 45 scores compared to dermatologists aged <30 years with less than 5 years of medical esthetic practice. The ORs were 1.82 (95% CI: 1.13-3.12), 1.94 (95% CI: 1.13-3.61), and 1.76 (95% CI: 1.34-2.31), respectively. Conclusion: The SDM implementation level among Chinese dermatologists engaging in medical esthetics is high, especially for those who are older age and have more years of practice. Hence, it is highly recommended to promote and enhance SDM practice among younger dermatologists engaging in medical esthetics with less working experience.