‘Trust is like a mirror. Once broken it never joins.’

There we go with a most virulent query in the minds of thousands. Seeking of a second opinion from a doctor.

Seeking a second opinion is a common practice that, in a patient’s perspective, can improve accuracy for a treatment and reduce unnecessary procedures and risks. Almost 88% of the patients are seen going for a second opinion before treatment. This has many advantages and disadvantages. Now let us go into the roots of this thought.

Reasons for seeking a second opinion

It is reasonable to seek multiple opinions for your health. Inevitable discrepancies in the clinical judgment make the second opinions clinically significant and cost-effective due to their potential to reduce the costs of unnecessary expensive and invasive diagnostic & surgical procedures. The second opinion (SO) program was first introduced in the US in 1970’s by the insurance companies. Many countries including India support the SO program. Some like the UK, however, discourage it.

Types of seekers

There are mainly three types of patients who seek a second opinion.

Type 1 are the ones who go for it on their own due to trust issues or being doubtful about the doctor or the procedures that are undertaken.

Type 2 are those which are referred by the physician. It may be due to primary care physician’s doubts about diagnosis and perceived need of an expert advice.

Type 3 is by a suggestion of a third party. It may be friends, relatives or any others. This happens when someone other than the physician expresses a doubt about the treatment.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Many diagnostic discrepancies can be solved by a second opinion. A study in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practise showed that only 12% of the cases under the second opinion confirmed with the original diagnosis made in the first opinion. This clearly shows that when you go for a second opinion 1 out of every 5 people gets a different outcome. This may not only save the cost of treatment, but also the risk of over/ under treatment.

The major disadvantage is that the major stem of these SO seeking mainly comes from mere anxiety and thus it leads to a trend called ‘Doctor shopping’ which can prove to be a real burden for the patients and the systems. This can happen in the absence of a regulated mechanism.

 

Refresh your thoughts

Get SO’s only done if the symptoms continue to persist,  or if diagnosed with major conditions. Go for it when you feel discomfort with the present doctor you consult.

To conclude

The need of the hour is the new mechanisms that help patients in the complicated process of seeking  SO and provide them with specialists who are able to provide them with better alternatives.

Always keep in mind that we are living in a century where knowledge comes by a single tap at the tip of our fingers. So be smart enough to move in pace with the time and technology and hence become an active part in the healthcare.