生病时,您会征求“第二诊疗意见”吗?
征询第二方意见 (Seek a second opinion) 是医学健康管理中的一种智慧。
什么是“第二诊疗意见”?
随着健康科普信息来源的多样化和“线上问诊”等形式的普及,有越来越多的患者在一次就诊之后都选择从其他渠道“再问问其他医生的意见”。无论是看完普通门诊后不放心再换个医院去看专家门诊,还是“疑难杂症”遍寻北上广甚至海内外的专家教授,亦或是线下就诊后再通过线上咨询的形式把报告单和处方解读一下…… 这些多方听取意见的形式都可以统称为获取“第二诊疗意见”(second medical opinion)。https://m.weibo.cn/status/4821520826499851?sourceType=weixin&from=10C9595060&wm=9006_2001&featurecode=newtitle
如果患者对诊疗方案存有疑虑,而第二诊疗意见刚好确证和肯定了首诊医生的意见,那是否意味着获取第二诊疗意见本身就是“瞎折腾”和“无用功”呢?当然不是。因为通过首诊医生之外的另一个声音来确定医生在诊疗的方向上没有跑偏,对患者在心理层面一定是个巨大的安慰和鼓励。听到另一位医生对病情的再次分析,也很有可能让患者对自己的健康状况有更深层次的认识,对诊疗方案有更好的依从性。哪些情况适合征询第二诊疗意见?
第二诊疗意见的形式既可以是当面拜访另一位医生,也可以通过其他形式(例如电子邮件或网络问诊等)来听取其他医生从另一角度的意见。在欧美等国家,患者获取第二诊疗意见的原因包括(但不限于):
• 当医生建议手术治疗时;
• 当医生诊断患者罹患某种严重的疾病(如癌症)时;
• 当医生建议的治疗方案有较大风险或较强的副作用时;
• 当诊断并不完全明确,或没有医药监管部门认定的标准治疗方案时;
• 当患者考虑参加一项新药的临床试验或采用试验阶段的新技术或新器械时;
• 如果患者认为医生推荐的某种治疗方式并非必需;
• 如果患者认为自身的疾病有可能被医生误诊或漏诊;
• 如果医生自己建议患者听取第二诊疗意见;
• 如果医生推荐了某种择期手术,保险公司有时会要求另一位医生也给出建议(除了这种情况之外,保险公司通常不会为第二诊疗意见付费)。
除了癌症等重大疾病或有关手术的选择之外,第二诊疗意见当然也适用于很多其他情况。因为大多数疾病的诊疗都可能有不同的方案选择,小到感冒发烧等常见病的药物选择;大到某种疾病是否适合出国就医;亦或某颗智齿是否需要拔除、某项有创检查的风险与收益之间权衡……
Ways to Get a Second Medical Opinion
The diagnosis of a fatal disease such as breast cancer, lymphoma or lung cancer always comes as a shock for patients and different patients act and respond differently to the news. But the truth is that the patient along with each and every member of his or her family wants to opt for a second medical opinion in order to confirm the diagnosis and more importantly to come to terms with the truth. But in most cases the patient feels reluctant to approach the doctor because of the fear of offending or upsetting him. It is necessary to understand the fact that most doctors encourage patients to opt for a second opinion so that the experts can discuss the case openly once the patient receives the second opinion. Dr. Gregory Abel, a blood cancer specialist at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says “If you have a doctor who would be offended by a second opinion, he or she is probably not the right doctor for you.”
Two Ways to Get a Second Opinion
Taking a medical second opinion does not mean you don’t trust your GP, a second opinion from a different consultant helps to confirm the diagnosis of your doctor and in case of a misdiagnosis it offers the opportunity to get back to the right path of treatment where the patient can opt for less invasive treatment options that have fewer side effects, but how to get a second opinion from a doctor? Well, there are two ways to second opinion:
Know Your Rights:
Second opinions are the best way to know more about the diagnosis of your disease and the available treatment options. Not every doctor has the same approach to the disease -some may follow a conservative method while others may have a more aggressive approach. It is a patient’s right to choose the approach that he or she wants to opt for.
Search for Top Doctors:
In most cases the patient’s doctor recommends another specialist or physician. But if that is not the case then the patient may have to search a doctor himself. Make a list of the doctors who specialize in the particular field of medicine and then narrow down the search based on the following factors – experience, qualification, location, reliability.
Contact The Doctor You Choose and Talk Face to Face:
Once you get an appointment with the specialist, talk to him in person. You should reveal all the information about your illness and condition (records, test results, x-rays and pathology reports) so that he can understand the situation thoroughly.
It can take multiple sessions with your doctor or consultation with another unbiased physician in order to arrive at a conclusion and appropriate therapy.
Online Second-Opinion Service:
Online medical second opinion services have become increasingly popular in recent times and it has empowered the patient to a great extent. Some of the medical second opinion services are run by established medical centers such as Cleveland clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital as well as independent businesses that work with specialists.Steps for Getting an Online Medical Second Opinion
Following is a step by step procedure for how to get a medical second opinion online. For this procedure, the physicians and specialists at the consulting firm undertake a thorough review of the patient’s medical records and diagnostic tests.
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