Patient-initiated second opinions: systematic review of characteristics and impact on diagnosis, treatment, and satisfaction.
Payne VL, Singh H, Meyer AND, et al. Patient-Initiated Second Opinions: Systematic Review of Characteristics and Impact on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Satisfaction. Mayo Clinic Proc. 2014;89(5):687-696. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.02.015.
Patients with an unclear diagnosis or treatment plan often consider asking for a second opinion from another clinician. This systematic review found a limited body of literature addressing the outcomes of second opinions, but discovered evidence that some proportion of patients (ranging from 10% to 62% across studies) do receive different advice on diagnosis or treatment from a second clinician. According to another recent study (not included in this review), more than 40% of patient-initiated second opinions result in a change in diagnosis or treatment recommendations.