If you are experiencing a medical emergency, stop reading this and call your local emergency services immediately. Secondoctor is not designed for urgent care.
The purpose of this page
This disclaimer explains the role consultations on Secondoctor play in your medical care, so you can make informed decisions about how to use them.
Second opinions are informational, not prescriptive
A consultation on Secondoctor provides a medical opinion from a qualified specialist who reviews your records and case. That opinion is information for you and your treating physician to consider. It does not:
- Replace the relationship with your local treating physician
- Establish a long-term doctor-patient relationship between you and the consulting specialist
- Direct your treating physician to follow specific advice
- Constitute emergency care
Cross-border medical care has limits
Doctors on Secondoctor are licensed in specific countries. Their authority to prescribe medications, order tests, perform procedures, or take over your medical care is limited to the jurisdictions where they hold a license. In most cases:
- A consulting specialist cannot prescribe medications for you across borders
- A consulting specialist cannot order tests at your local clinic
- A consulting specialist cannot perform procedures or arrange in-person treatment
- Your treating physician remains responsible for your medical care
The role of your treating physician
Your treating physician — the doctor you see in person who knows your full medical history — remains your primary medical decision-maker. A second opinion from Secondoctor is something you bring back to them, discuss together, and use to inform shared decisions.
We strongly recommend sharing your second-opinion report with your treating physician.
No guarantees of outcome
Medicine is uncertain. Even an excellent specialist providing a thoughtful opinion may be working with incomplete information, and reasonable doctors can disagree. A second opinion is one valuable input — not a guarantee that a particular course of action is correct.
When NOT to use Secondoctor
- Medical emergencies: chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, signs of stroke, severe allergic reactions — call your local emergency services
- Mental health crises: if you are in danger of harming yourself or others, contact local crisis services immediately
- Acute symptoms that need physical examination: some conditions can only be evaluated in person
- Urgent prescriptions: contact your treating physician or local pharmacy
Limits on what specialists can tell you
The quality and usefulness of a second opinion depends on the quality and completeness of the information you share. Specialists working from incomplete records will note that limitation in their report. You should:
- Share all relevant medical records, scans, and test results
- Describe your symptoms and history accurately
- Mention all medications you are taking
- Disclose other conditions that might be relevant
Doctor verification
We verify every doctor's medical license, identity, and credentials before they can consult on the platform. However, verification does not constitute our endorsement of any specific clinical opinion. Each doctor is responsible for the quality and accuracy of the consultations they provide.
Acknowledgement
By using Secondoctor, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this disclaimer, and that consultations are informational and do not replace your treating physician.
Questions
If you have questions about whether Secondoctor is appropriate for your situation, please contact your treating physician, or reach us at hello@secondoctor.com.