Medical Second Opinion

This question actually asks about something almost all of us do, but don't think about what we're calling it when we do it. Simply put, a second opinion is the name given to consulting different people so that we can look at an issue from different perspectives. We ask a computer-savvy friend about the computer we're going to buy for our home, or we consult someone whose taste we trust about the clothes we're going to wear, asking "does it look good?" Medical second opinion is just like these, it is about taking a step in medical matters after consulting with experts in the field before taking action. In medical matters, the medical second opinion, which will help us better understand both the approach to complaints and the alternatives and risks in the treatment plan, is very important for our patients to choose the most appropriate treatment plan for themselves.

We can seek a medical second opinion to increase our knowledge about any health problem that worries us, poses a risk to us, or that we care about for ourselves or a loved one. However, the important point here is to make sure that the person or institution we consult is competent in this matter. In this regard, Güven Hospital is one of the leading centers with its 50 years of experience and specialist physicians who closely follow the literature. Sometimes we can also benefit from a medical second opinion in cases where we do not want a certain type of treatment.

You will appreciate that sometimes we may not want the surgical treatment recommended for a disease. In this case, we can also seek a medical second opinion to learn about alternative treatments that can be applied. For example, conservative treatments, which are considered a different school of thought, can sometimes be more acceptable than surgical treatments. The patient has the right to be informed about these as well.

If you want me to specify with examples, for instance, when a coronary bypass surgery is recommended to a patient with a heart condition, but the patient refuses and insists on medication treatment, they may want to get a medical second opinion about the alternatives that can be tried and their risks. Or a cancer patient may question alternative surgical or medication treatments among the treatment options. In these cases, they may also want to get a medical second opinion. It is very possible to multiply these examples.

Having surgery is a very traumatic process for the patient. Even in the simplest surgery, the patient's bodily integrity is interfered with and the body is cut with a scalpel. During the healing of this incision, the patient experiences a recovery period both physically and mentally. Sometimes, when we review some of the patient's conditions during this period, there may be things that cannot be overcome. Therefore, it is very important to know alternative treatment options if they exist. For example, patients who frequently experience rapid heartbeats rush to emergency services in hospitals due to these accelerations and the anxiety they bring, and are relieved by being given medication there. However, this can become so frequent at some point that it can turn into a process that greatly affects the patient's quality of life. In such a situation, if the patient is not properly guided, they may not be able to access the information that their current condition can be permanently corrected with a method called EPS. For this reason, our patients need to get a medical second opinion.

It should not be forgotten that there is no such thing as a small or big surgery. Even the most difficult surgeries can be very successfully completed in competent hands. Unfortunately, in incompetent hands, you can encounter many complications even in the most frequently performed gallbladder surgery. For this reason, we recommend our patients to get a medical second opinion before every surgery if they care about their health.