Dive Brief:
- Most people will agree it's a good idea to get a second opinion before making any major medical decisions; even if both doctors come to the same conclusion, it still provides peace of mind.
- A review of existing research found that between 10% and 60% of second opinions resulted in major changes to diagnoses or treatment plans.
- A second study found that more than 40% of second opinions resulted in a change of diagnosis or treatment plan.
Dive Insight:
Although second opinions have been shown to be useful in helping patients make better healthcare decisions, there's not much data to show that they lead to better health results overall. "What we don't know is the outcomes," Dr. Hardeep Singh, a patient safety researcher at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, and co-author of both studies, told Healthcare Finance News. "What is the real diagnosis at the end? The first one or the second one? Or maybe both are wrong."
Second opinions can still be useful. Even more so if doctors work together to make sure they've arrived at the correct diagnosis. If you know your patient will be seeking a second opinion (which you might want to encourage because they may not otherwise let you know for fear of offending you), reach out to the second physician and request a follow-up report. If you're the one providing the second opinion, share your findings with the physician who made the initial diagnosis.