Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service Point
Background: To improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of care, cancer patients can obtain a second medical opinion on their treatment. Validation of the diagnostic procedure (e.g., imaging), diagnosis, and treatment recommendation allows oncological therapy to be applied in a more targeted way,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Diagnostics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/13/21/3300 |
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| author | Carla E. Schulmeyer Matthias W. Beckmann Peter A. Fasching Lothar Häberle Henriette Golcher Frank Kunath Bernd Wullich Julius Emons |
| author_facet | Carla E. Schulmeyer Matthias W. Beckmann Peter A. Fasching Lothar Häberle Henriette Golcher Frank Kunath Bernd Wullich Julius Emons |
| author_sort | Carla E. Schulmeyer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: To improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of care, cancer patients can obtain a second medical opinion on their treatment. Validation of the diagnostic procedure (e.g., imaging), diagnosis, and treatment recommendation allows oncological therapy to be applied in a more targeted way, optimizing interdisciplinary care. This study describes patients who received second opinions at the Comprehensive Cancer Center for Erlangen–Nuremberg metropolitan area in Germany over a 6-year period, as well as the amount of time spent on second-opinion counseling. Methods: This prospective, descriptive, single-center observational study included 584 male and female cancer patients undergoing gynecological, urologic, or general surgery who sought a second medical opinion. The extent to which the first opinion complied with standard guidelines was assessed solely descriptively. Results: The first opinion was in accordance with the guidelines and complete in 54.5% of the patients, and guideline compliant but incomplete in 13.2%. The median time taken to form a second opinion was 225 min, and the cancer information service was contacted by patients an average of eight times. Conclusions: The initial opinion was guideline compliant and complete in every second case. Without a second opinion, the remaining patients would have been denied a guideline-compliant treatment recommendation. Obtaining a second opinion gives patients an opportunity to receive a guideline-compliant treatment recommendation and enables them to benefit from newer, individualized therapeutic approaches in clinical trials. Establishing patient-initiated second opinions via central contact points appears to be a feasible option for improving guideline compliance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:32:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd25005eab2847c891f6e8ee4f402910 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4418 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:32:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diagnostics |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd25005eab2847c891f6e8ee4f4029102023-11-10T15:00:54ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182023-10-011321330010.3390/diagnostics13213300Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service PointCarla E. Schulmeyer0Matthias W. Beckmann1Peter A. Fasching2Lothar Häberle3Henriette Golcher4Frank Kunath5Bernd Wullich6Julius Emons7Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Erlangen University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Erlangen University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Erlangen University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Erlangen University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Surgery, Erlangen University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Urology, Klinikum Bayreuth GmbH, 95445 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Erlangen University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Erlangen University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyBackground: To improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of care, cancer patients can obtain a second medical opinion on their treatment. Validation of the diagnostic procedure (e.g., imaging), diagnosis, and treatment recommendation allows oncological therapy to be applied in a more targeted way, optimizing interdisciplinary care. This study describes patients who received second opinions at the Comprehensive Cancer Center for Erlangen–Nuremberg metropolitan area in Germany over a 6-year period, as well as the amount of time spent on second-opinion counseling. Methods: This prospective, descriptive, single-center observational study included 584 male and female cancer patients undergoing gynecological, urologic, or general surgery who sought a second medical opinion. The extent to which the first opinion complied with standard guidelines was assessed solely descriptively. Results: The first opinion was in accordance with the guidelines and complete in 54.5% of the patients, and guideline compliant but incomplete in 13.2%. The median time taken to form a second opinion was 225 min, and the cancer information service was contacted by patients an average of eight times. Conclusions: The initial opinion was guideline compliant and complete in every second case. Without a second opinion, the remaining patients would have been denied a guideline-compliant treatment recommendation. Obtaining a second opinion gives patients an opportunity to receive a guideline-compliant treatment recommendation and enables them to benefit from newer, individualized therapeutic approaches in clinical trials. Establishing patient-initiated second opinions via central contact points appears to be a feasible option for improving guideline compliance.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/13/21/3300second medical opiniongynecologic cancerurologic cancersarcomagastrointestinal cancer |
| spellingShingle | Carla E. Schulmeyer Matthias W. Beckmann Peter A. Fasching Lothar Häberle Henriette Golcher Frank Kunath Bernd Wullich Julius Emons Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service Point Diagnostics second medical opinion gynecologic cancer urologic cancer sarcoma gastrointestinal cancer |
| title | Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service Point |
| title_full | Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service Point |
| title_fullStr | Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service Point |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service Point |
| title_short | Improving the Quality of Care for Cancer Patients through Oncological Second Opinions in a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility of Patient-Initiated Second Opinions through a Health-Insurance Service Point |
| title_sort | improving the quality of care for cancer patients through oncological second opinions in a comprehensive cancer center feasibility of patient initiated second opinions through a health insurance service point |
| topic | second medical opinion gynecologic cancer urologic cancer sarcoma gastrointestinal cancer |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/13/21/3300 |
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