We pathologists have long understood the significance of misdiagnoses and the value of second opinions. Second opinions of pathology diagnoses are routinely used intradepartmentally not only for immediate patient diagnostic accuracy, but also as a tool for peer review, quality assurance, and quality improvement. These may occur as consensus conferences or mandatory second opinions of initial diagnoses of cancers. These measures to assure accuracy of diagnosis are well established in many pathology departments, both private and academic. And directed peer review—selecting specific disease types or particular sites of origin—provides added benefit by targeting latent factors that contribute to diagnostic error.Da Allen TC. Second Opinions: Pathologists' Preventive Medicine.
Allen TC. Second opinions: pathologists' preventive medicine. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2013 Mar;137(3):310-1.
