Second Opinion Radiology Consultations and Recommendations to Clinicians

A review of a radiological imaging examination is often requested to reduce the burden on the patient as well as on the costs of the healthcare system. Recommendations for additional diagnostic tests are made in a non-negligible proportion of these second opinion radiological readings. They are acted on in most cases, thus impacting the clinical management, also due to being the reason for the establishment of a diagnosis of malignancy. If a second opinion radiological consultation in form of ultrasonography, computed or magnetic resonance tomography is requested after an emergency point-of-care-ultrasonography examination, only few diagnostic disagreements are to be observed. However, in a substantial number of cases a second opinion radiological report is not read and is therefore leading to a potentially reversible waste of healthcare resources. Future research should focus further on the benefits of second opinion reports and associated factors such as the effect of the diagnostic yield on long-term outcome, and on the clinicians’ point of view on reasons for reading or not reading a second opinion report. By doing so, potential opportunities that may lead to a more efficient utilization of health care resources may be identified and implemented.