Medical doctors are trained to observe, diagnose, treat, and educate their patients. But even with their extensive training and expertise, it's possible for them to make a wrong diagnosis, offer solutions that are too invasive for their patients' comfort level, or miss important clues to help improve their patients' quality of life. While they are excellent at what they do, it's always a great idea to get a second medical opinion to ensure nothing got missed. There are many reasons to get a second opinion, here are some of the top ones.
Ensures Accuracy
When you're facing major surgery, it's important to have more than one doctor take a look at your medical history. Some doctors even offer services like a free MRI review to ensure the initial read was correct, or to find something that might've been missed in the first look. This second look ensures that the initial findings were accurate. Sometimes, small details get missed or mistaken for something else, and an additional set of eyes can pick up on those important discrepancies.
Insurance Requires It
Some insurance companies may require a second opinion if they will be forking out a lot of money for surgery. They want to be sure it's actually necessary and that there aren't alternative options that are more affordable for them. Insurance companies will also sometimes limit the type of surgery they will cover for a specific condition. For back surgeries, for instance, laminectomies might be covered, while disc replacement surgeries are not.
More Treatment Options
Some doctors only specialize in one type of surgical procedure. While they might be the best at it, if there are other treatment options available, some people want the option. Surgery is great if you need it, but if there is another treatment to try first, it might be beneficial to go that route prior to going under the knife. With new advancements in technology, some doctors have more training in techniques that are less invasive and promote quicker healing so that patients can get back to living life.
Uncertainty
Getting a second opinion offers peace of mind. When there is uncertainty and fear about how to proceed, a second opinion can provide the reassurance you need. Cancer patients often seek out second and sometimes third opinions not only for peace of mind, but to explore all the possible treatment options. Medical doctors are unique, and all take a slightly different approach when it comes to caring for patients. A second or third opinion can not only confirm the progression of cancer, but it can also give options for how to proceed going forward. Some doctors may rely heavily on chemotherapy, while others might combine more holistic options alongside chemo or radiation.
Empowers the Patient
Becoming an educated patient empowers you to make a plan for your illness or injury going forward. You get to learn more about your condition and all the different ways it can be treated. Some diabetics for instance prefer to try and manage symptoms with diet before taking insulin. If it works, they can easily check their blood sugars and make adjustments to their food. By doing this, they learn more about themselves, their bodies, and their personal limits. If insulin is needed, they can make that choice knowing they have the tools they need to manage their own health going forward.
When You're Diagnosed With a Rare Disease
Getting diagnosed with a rare disease can sound scary. It often means there are limited treatment options, and that doctors aren't always able to treat all aspects of the disease. This can be difficult to process and means that it's important to get a second look. Your bloodwork, labs, scans, and tests might appear one way, but they could also mean something completely different. Perhaps instead of one rare disease, you have multiple diseases on top of each other. If you get a second opinion, however, the new doctor could help you find a path forward by treating each disease uniquely. This often happens with autoimmune diseases and can be tricky to discover.
If You're Still Sick
You know your body best. If you aren't feeling well and haven't been for a while, but your doctor continues to dismiss your concerns or hasn't been able to effectively treat you, it's important to get another doctor on board. A second opinion may give the insight needed to discover what's making you feel bad. It could be as simple as a vitamin deficiency, but if that's not what the doctor is looking for, they won't ever find it.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
