Seeking a second opinion

Dr. Robert Klitzman, a psychiatrist at Columbia University, wrote an opinion piece about the difficulties of seeking a second opinion in today's New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/health/views/12essa.html?ex=1360472400&en=930ce81b5bfc8d73&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink.

Second opinions are an invaluable tool in preventing medical errors. But seeking a second opinion can potentially create an awkward strain on the relationship between patients and physicians. Seeking another opinion may create ambiguities over just who is the patient's doctor. And second opinion are not always covered by insurers.

Dr. Klitzman has been interviewing physicians who found themselves as patients and he found that the answer is not black-and-white. Some physicians thought second opinions were acceptable, but third opinions are not. Some considered the acceptability of second opinions to be based on the complexity and risks of the proposed treatment. There is a taboo on questioning your colleagues, but also a responsibility to do what is best for the patient.

Asking for a second opinion will never be easy, even with a doctor you respect and trust. But honest communication on the part of both the patient and physician can make the process easier.