Today, it has become common for patients to consult multiple doctors for the same problem, a phenomena referred to as "doctor shopping". Second opinions are also commonly sought. This could be because of mistrust of the patient in the previous doctor or the patient’s desire to be doubly sure about the diagnosis and treatment. After going through the history, examination and investigations, it is possible that we arrive at a different diagnosis and plan a different line of management (as compared to the previous doctor). It is perfectly fine, if there are differences of opinion, and both the opinions are “correct”.
For example, two doctors may choose different anti-migraine drugs or different anti-epileptic drugs to treat the same patient. Same differences could be seen while managing diabetes or hypertension. These differences of opinion are well recognized and accepted. However, in…
