Doctor Errors | Cirignani Heller & Harman, LLP

When people visit doctors, they place trust in their physicians’ education, expertise and professionalism. They enter the doctors’ offices or hospitals believing that their illness or injury will be correctly diagnosed and treated. What many people are surprised to learn, however, is how incredibly often medical errors occur. Medical errors include inaccurate diagnoses, incomplete treatments, […]

There’s nothing new about the idea that fatigue makes us more prone to mistakes. We know that when we’re exhausted, we lack focus and suffer from impaired judgment. For most people, fatigue-related errors have only minor consequences. But for those whose decision-making abilities determine the wellbeing of others, this is a potentially catastrophic problem. A […]

Doctor errors happen. That is a fact. Medicine isn’t the only occupation in which errors occur. There are mechanic errors, fast food errors, printing errors, etc… Every sort of work is going to have errors. Doctor errors, however, can have pretty significant, even life-threatening, consequences. We go to a doctor and expect that he or […]

Surgery isn’t an uncommon event for people in the United States. Almost everyone either has had some form of surgical procedure or knows of someone who has. Some of these procedures are not necessary but can lead to an enhanced quality of life. Other surgeries, however, are potentially life-saving or prevent significant disability. Some such […]

Avoiding doctor errors is something everyone wants to do.  After all, a visit to the doctor or a hospital is about feeling better, not worse.  Most of the time patient safety is a high priority for healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, there are times that mistakes are made and patients find themselves worse off than when they […]

A bad outcome to a medical procedure is the last thing anyone plans on when going to the doctor.  After all, you go to the doctor to be healed. It is possible, however, that despite a doctor’s best efforts you won’t get better. If a doctor does the best job he or she can do […]

Medical Expertise Helps Identify Doctor Errors During Surgery. There are many reasons for surgical errors. One is the failure of the surgeon to recognize that a postoperative complication is related to the surgery itself. Some complications occur because a surgeon fails to recognize the unusual anatomy of an individual patient and ends up either cutting something […]

A bad medical outcome is an unfortunate result of receiving medical care.  Every patient that receives medical care does so with the intention to get better and heal. When that doesn’t happen patients can rightfully be very frustrated. While a bad medical outcome does not always mean that medical malpractice has occurred it may be […]

Doctors can make mistakes when calculating the proper dosage of a medication. They can fail to read a patient’s chart before prescribing a certain type of medication. In other cases, a patient’s chart may be missing information vital for a doctor to designate the appropriate course of treatment. These are just a couple examples of […]

Medical malpractice cases almost always involve a bad medical outcome, such as serious injury or death. But a negative outcome in and of itself is not always caused by medical negligence. One of the most important considerations is whether the physician met the expected standard of care. It is a somewhat common misconception that a negative medical […]

A fire in the operating room is probably the last thing on any patient’s mind on the day they go in for surgery. It is also probably the last thing on their surgeon’s mind as well and understandably so. Atul Gawande an author and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School says “Our great struggle […]

The way our health care system is set up, doctors are afforded a tremendous amount of responsibility and trust. When an Illinois resident goes to the doctor or hospital, he or she is often seen by one doctor who is solely responsible for conducting an examination, diagnosing any health problems, establishing a treatment plan and […]

The process of obtaining a medical degree and becoming a licensed medical doctor is challenging, lengthy and strenuous. This is necessary to ensure that those men and women who are entrusted with the care and very lives of patients are experienced, competent and consciousness. While the majority of medical doctors embody these qualities, there are […]

The prescription drugs taken by Chicago patients come from medical professionals rather than directly from a drug manufacturer. The so-called “learned intermediary” may be a nurse acting on a physician’s orders, a doctor or a pharmacist. Drug warnings and adverse side effects are passed on to consumers from drug makers via health care providers. It’s […]

At times throughout any professional’s career, a second set of eyes can be helpful. When proofing a colleague’s work, a co-worker may notice an error or be able to provide helpful feedback on ways to improve upon a work product. Unfortunately, doctors and other medical professionals typically do not work in settings or under conditions […]

Even seemingly minor or routine medical procedures require a doctor to use care, precision and skill. Doctors, however, are human and, just like most Illinois residents, have an off day now and then. Unfortunately, the medical profession does not allow for bad days and patients often pay the price. Parents who have a child with […]

When Chicago parents rush their ill children to the emergency room, they do so because they believe that something is seriously wrong with their children, and because they also trust emergency room workers and doctors will do what is necessary to figure out what may be causing their children’s concerning health issues. Unfortunately, when a […]

Chicago patients who must undergo intense surgical operations or medical treatments might assume that their risk of being injured by a doctor’s mistake is greater because of the complex nature of a surgery or medical treatment. But even patients who suffer from seemingly minor illnesses or injuries may be permanently harmed by doctors’ mistakes. Earlier […]

Our Chicago medical malpractice law blog has discussed a variety of mistakes that have been made when doctors were trusted by their patients to provide them with quality care. When these mistakes are made, patients have every right to take legal action in order to hold doctors accountable for their errors. We have also mentioned […]

Last month, it was reported that an anesthesiologist is being sued in Illinois for harming one of her patients. The medical malpractice lawsuit accuses the doctor of administering an epidural steroid injection incorrectly during a patient’s surgery. The doctor’s mistake has allegedly caused the patient to suffer permanent injuries from anesthesia complications. The lawsuit claims […]