Objective To investigate the acceptance of Traditional Chinese medicine nursing technology (TCMNT) among the elderly in Shanghai nursing institutions and analyze its influencing factors. Methods A total of 457 elderly people in 17 nursing institutions in Shanghai from June 2021 to June 2022 were selected as the study subjects. A self-developed questionnaire was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey. SPSS statistics 23.0 was used for data analysis. According to the data type, t test, Mann-Whitney U test or χ²test was used for inter-group comparison. Binary logistic regression was performed to analyze the influencing factors of the acceptance of TCMNT in the elderly in nursing institutions. Results In total,432 valid responses were collected. The overall acceptability of TCMNT was 68.29% (295/432). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that education of high school or above (OR=2.298, 95%CI 1.040-5.079; P=0.040), perceived good health (OR=0.055, 95%CI 0.005-0.631; P=0.020), the number of diseases (1-2 kinds:OR=5.397,95%CI 2.077-14.020,P=0.001; 3-4 kinds:OR=6.437, 95%CI 2.305-17.971, P<0.001; >4 kinds:OR=5.168, 95%CI 1.040-25.686,P=0.045), better understanding of TCMNT (OR=5.435, 95%CI 1.278-23.108, P=0.022), belief in the curative effect of TCMNT (general: OR=2.273, 95%CI 1.184-4.362, P=0.014; better:OR=10.146, 95%CI 4.837-21.283, P<0.001), views on the charge of TCMNT (general:OR=5.294, 95%CI 2.540-11.036, P<0.001; lower:OR=6.720, 95%CI 3.057-14.771, P<0.001), and belief in the greater safety of TCMNT (OR=11.321, 95%CI 5.189-24.697, P<0.001) were the factors influencing the acceptance of TCMNT among the elderly in nursing institutions. Conclusion The acceptance of TCMNT in the elderly in nursing institutions is at a low level, which is affected by many factors. Different personalized interventions should be employed to improve it and to promote the application of TCMNT in the nursing institutions.