• Mayo Clinic Minute: Why second opinions are good for patients

Doctor holding application form while consulting patientA new Mayo Clinic study has found that more than 1 in 5 patients, referred for a second opinion, may have been incorrectly diagnosed by their health care provider.

Dr. James Naessens led the study that looked at medical records for 286 patients whose healthcare providers referred them to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion.

Dr. Naessens found that, 21 percent of the time, the final diagnosis was completely different from the original diagnosis. Sixty-six percent of the time, the second diagnosis further clarified or better defined the original diagnosis. And 12 percent of the time, the second diagnosis confirmed the first one.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Naessens explains the implications of the data and the significance for patients. Ian Roth reports.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (0:58) is in the downloads. Read the script.

Read more about the Mayo Clinic study on second opinions.