Abu Dhabi: It may not always be safe to seek a second medical opinion, but many residents in the emirate of Abu Dhabi harbour this misconception, a top health official has said.
This over-enthusiasm for second opinions could actually pose a threat to patient safety, and it prompted the emirate’s health sector regulator to set a limit on the number of medical professionals of the same speciality who can be consulted in an outpatient setting within a 21-day period, said Dr Maha Barakat, director-general at the Health Authority Abu Dhabi.
“We noticed a number of patients who would visit multiple doctors in a short time span for the same complaint. They could end up with differing diagnoses, which is often misleading or confusing, they could end up undergoing multiple tests, or they could be prescribed multiple drugs that react adversely when taken together,” Dr Barakat said.
“We wanted to discourage the practice, and that is why we mandated that anyone who needs to visit a different doctor in the same speciality within 21 days of a doctor’s visit must either get a doctor referral note, or seek pre-approval from the insurance provider to ensure that the second visit is covered,” she added.
There is also a hope that the regulation, announced earlier this month, will encourage patients to first see a family practitioner, who can then refer them to the right specialist.
“A lot of people go directly to the specialist, thinking they know what the symptom is related to. But you have to keep in mind that it is very hard for a layman to know what the cause really is. So a viral skin infection like shingles can often mimic the pain of a heart attack. A patient who visits the cardiologist directly may find that the discomfort is not resolved, and go to another cardiologist, and this would still not help,” Dr Barakat said.
A frequently misused speciality, for instance, was imaging. The Haad noticed that many pregnant women opted for multiple ultrasound scans in an effort to better ‘see’ their babies, despite the fact that such imaging can harm foetuses due to the heat generated during the scan.
“Perhaps there is still a lack of trust in medical opinions, but we are working to change this with our quality reform,” the official said.
The new outpatient visit regulation does not apply to follow-up appointments about a specific complaint with the same doctor. As before, these remain free of charge. In addition, such insurance pre-approval is not required for second appointments within a 21-day period for children under the age of 18 years, residents aged 60 years or more, vaccination visits, emergency treatment and health screenings.
