Study: A quarter of German citizens do not know the right to a second medical opinion

29.10.2014 12:24

A quarter of German citizens do not know that they have the right to a free second opinion from another specialist, regardless of the type of illness. This was the result of a current study "Second opinion procedure from the patient's perspective" by the Asklepios Kliniken Hamburg and the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research, for which 1,000 people aged 18 and over were surveyed nationwide. The private hospital cluster Asklepios Kliniken Hamburg has taken the study results to heart and has been actively offering its patients a second opinion in a variety of medical areas since October 2014.

Younger people are the least informed: The study initiators found that among 18 to 24 year olds, who belong to the “ignorant quarter” of all citizens, the proportion of uninformed people is as high as 40 percent. In contrast, 96 percent of people aged 50 to 64 are aware of the right to a second opinion.

According to the study, 15 percent of German citizens believe that as a patient they have to bear the costs for a second opinion themselves. Six percent assume that obtaining a second opinion is only free before an upcoming operation. Four percent don't even know that they can request a second opinion themselves - they assume that only their doctor can consult a colleague if necessary. Most patients were not actively approached by a treating specialist about the option of a second opinion, neither in practices nor in clinics.

Patients are very interested in second medical opinions

There is great interest in a competent second opinion: on average, every second German citizen has already received a second medical opinion on a planned treatment. In 54 percent of cases, the patients requested this second assessment themselves. In a third, the procedure was initiated by treating practice doctors, in 11 percent by hospital doctors, and in 2 percent by health insurance companies.

The most common reasons for consulting a second doctor are:

• Uncertainty about whether the treatment suggested by the treating doctor is really optimal (52 percent)

• and the desire to avoid unnecessary surgeries or treatments (47 percent).
• The third most important reason is to increase trust in the treating doctor (42 percent).
• German citizens particularly want a second opinion for serious illnesses such as cancer (mentioned by 82 percent), neurological diseases (68 percent) and heart diseases (65 percent).

Almost all German citizens who have ever obtained a second opinion from another doctor were satisfied with the process and result of the second opinion procedure. 94 percent of Germans who have not yet sought a second opinion would, after being informed about the possibility, do so or at least consider doing so in the future in the event of illness.

“Better basis for decision-making and increased trust”

“The second opinion gives the patient a better basis for decision-making, including in relation to alternative treatment options,” says Dr. Thomas Wolfram, managing director and spokesman for the Asklepios Kliniken Hamburg. The treating doctor also receives greater security because his treatment recommendations are checked with a high level of professional expertise. “The specialist can rely on standardized quality assurance that backs up his recommendation – this transparency also strengthens the patient’s trust,” says Wolfram.

Quick response from the clinic cluster in Hamburg

The Asklepios Kliniken Hamburg have responded to the lack of information and have been actively offering their patients a second opinion in a variety of medical areas since October 2014. Over 50 experts from gynecology, vascular medicine, cardiology, neuromedicine and back medicine/spine take part in the procedure.

Background facts about the study

In August 2014, the Asklepios Kliniken Hamburg conducted a study with the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research on the topic of “second opinion procedures from the patient’s perspective”. For this purpose, 1,000 German citizens aged 18 and over were surveyed online and the results were extrapolated to represent the population.