If a doctor is pressuring you into a procedure, scaring you into a procedure or discouraging you from getting a second opinion, that is our cue to get out of there.
A reputable doctor will always respect your intelligent decision to get another opinion, or to look at the literature or do some Internet searching before you decide on a procedure.
If the doctor proposes doing a procedure on you there in his office, be aware that some studies have shown that there is a substantially increased risk of complications and death in procedures done in a doctor’s office versus those done in outpatient surgery centers.1
Studies have also shown that many surgeries or procedures are undertaken when it is inappropriate to do so. And all of these surgeries or procedures have a level of risk involved.
“A number of studies have demonstrated overuse of health care services; for example, 8 to 86% of operations- depending on the type- have been found to be unnecessary and have caused substantial avoidable death and disability.”2
Some families have seen their loved one harmed or die from a procedure or operation that they later found out did not need to be done at all.
So anytime that you’re advised by a doctor to have a procedure or operation, keep your eyes open and check, check, and re0check before you agree to do it.
Studies, Footnotes and Resources:
- Vila, Hector, Jr., Roy Soto, Alan B. Cantor, and David Mackey. “Comparative Outcomes Analysis of Procedures Performed in Physician Offices and Ambulatory Surgery Centers.” Archives of Surgery 138 (2003): 991-995.
- Bodenheimer, Thomas. “The American Health Care System: The Movement for Improved Quality in Health Care.” New England Journal of Medicine 340(6) (1999): 488-492.