A second opinion is an opinion on a matter disputed by two or more parties.

Law

In legal cases, a second opinion which contradicts the opinion of a jointly retained expert may be disregarded as not being impartial.

Consumer rights

In cases such as

car repair A vehicle breakdown is a mechanical or electrical failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that the underlying problem prevents the vehicle from being operated or impedes the vehicle's operation so significantly that it is very difficult, nearly ...

s, a second opinion should be obtained in writing, and the original garage given an opportunity to rectify matters. In the case of clients' disputes with domestic

building contractor A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...

s, the builder may seek a second opinion to confirm their view.

Medicine

A second opinion can be a visit to a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

other than the one a

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other hea ...

has previously been seeing in order to get more information or to hear a differing point of view. Some reasons for which a patient may seek out a second opinion include: *Physician recommends surgery. *Physician diagnoses patient with serious illness (such as

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

). *Physician recommends a treatment for the patient other than what the patient believes is necessary. *When physician recommends

elective surgery Elective surgery or elective procedure (from the la, eligere, meaning to choose) is surgery that is scheduled in advance because it does not involve a medical emergency. Semi-elective surgery is a surgery that must be done to preserve the patien ...

, it may be required by the insurance plan. In other cases, insurance will not pay for a second opinion. *Patient believes they have a condition that the physician diagnosed incorrectly or failed to diagnose. *The physician themself recommends a second opinion. Different payment procedures apply to different second opinions. For example, some health plans pay for second opinions for members; many employers offer free second opinion benefits through companies like

Grand Rounds Grand rounds are a methodology of medical education and inpatient care, consisting of presenting the medical problems and treatment of a particular patient to an audience consisting of doctors, pharmacists, residents, and medical students. It w ...

or similar companies; and some states have public programs for cancer second opinions.

Workplace disputes

Second opinions may also be obtained by employers.

Professional mediation

Professional mediators may be asked for second opinions regarding whether to proceed to

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

or seek a

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

instead.

References

Practice of medicine {{law-stub