Category: Misdiagnosis

Winter brings an increased risk of slip-and-fall accidents due to icy and snowy conditions. While these incidents can cause serious injuries like fractures or concussions, the situation becomes even more concerning when medical negligence occurs during treatment. A failure to properly diagnose or treat winter-related injuries can lead to prolonged pain, costly medical interventions, or […]
Doctor Errors + Misdiagnosis

During flu season, misdiagnoses are common, but when does a mistake become medical malpractice? A flu misdiagnosis can lead to incorrect treatments, delayed care, and severe complications. For a misdiagnosis to qualify as malpractice, it must be shown that a healthcare provider deviated from the standard level of care that a competent professional would have […]
Misdiagnosis

Physicians routinely order multiple tests to learn what might be wrong when a patient is not feeling well. It is not uncommon for the results of that testing to lead to certain findings and/or diagnoses, and to a discussion between the patient and the physician regarding available treatment options. There are occasions, however, where doctors […]
Failure to Diagnose + Misdiagnosis

  “What else could it be?” These are five powerful words that you should be ready to ask your doctor during a visit. If you are like most people you probably aren’t looking forward to a visit to see the doctor. As a patient, you don’t have the luxury of always knowing exactly why you […]
Misdiagnosis + Patient Safety

When you don’t feel well there is nothing you want more than to just feel better. You don’t have time to be sick and you want to know what is wrong right now.  Getting the right diagnosis for what ails you though isn’t always that easy. Especially if you have those “flu-like” symptoms that are relatively […]
Misdiagnosis

Every year, about 232,000 women in Illinois and throughout the U.S. are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Many women understand that they may be at risk of developing breast cancer, and they may be aware of what signs to look out for so that they can see their doctors immediately to determine whether they do […]
Misdiagnosis

When doctors misdiagnose a patient’s symptoms, the patient’s condition and symptoms are usually prolonged. In worst case scenarios, a wrongful death can result from a misdiagnosis, as was the case with a 12-year-old boy whose sepsis symptoms went undiagnosed by his family physician and an emergency room staff earlier this year. The boy cut his […]
Misdiagnosis

Medical negligence in Chicago and throughout the entire country may be contributing to alcohol-related illnesses, which is consequently the third-leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. A panel of medical experts recently suggested that some alcohol-related illnesses, such as hypertension, liver disease and breast and esophageal cancers, may be reduced in the U.S. by […]
Misdiagnosis

Many Chicago residents will suffer from a heart problem or a heart attack in their lifetimes. An accurate and timely diagnosis of a heart condition is imperative to help a person recover. However, when a patient isn’t adequately treated or receives a misdiagnosis, a patient could be at risk of suffering serious health problems or […]
Misdiagnosis

Quality health care is something that is regularly discussed in Chicago and throughout the rest of the United States. Americans trust that when they step into a doctor’s office, hospital room or medical center, they will receive the best medical attention as possible. Part of keeping this quality of care intact is clear communication amongst […]
Misdiagnosis

Chicago residents who have been diagnosed with cancer know how important it is to diagnose the disease while it is still in its early stages so that an individual has a better chance of beating cancer with radiation, chemotherapy or other treatments. Individuals can certainly take steps to ensure that they remain cancer-free by checking […]
Misdiagnosis

Pediatricians treat countless children every week in Chicago and throughout the entire state of Illinois for various illnesses and diseases. Fortunately, doctors commonly see children with similar cold or flu-like symptoms that simply result in parents being told to bring their children home so that their kids can get plenty of rest. But what Illinois […]
Misdiagnosis

When a child is ill, Chicago parents put their trust in doctors to make an accurate diagnosis so that their child can get better. Although the illnesses many Illinois pediatricians and family doctors diagnose on a daily basis are the common cold, ear infections or the flu, physicians must not be too quick to rule […]
Misdiagnosis

We have previously discussed some of the injuries and health complications children have suffered during birth as a result of negligence on our Chicago medical malpractice law blog. These injuries and complications often occur when doctors or nurses fail to properly monitor a mother and her baby during birth or when medical professionals make a […]
Misdiagnosis

According to a new study, even a slight overdose of the pain relieving drug acetaminophen has the potential to be deadly. Although consumers in Illinois and throughout the entire U.S. are advised to only take the recommended daily dose of the painkiller, the study also suggests that doctors need to be more aware of the […]
Misdiagnosis

The cold and flu season is in full swing now, and even though Illinois parents may stress with their children the importance of washing one’s hands and covering their mouths when they cough, children are bound to get sick. During the cold and flu season, pediatricians and other doctors diagnose countless patients each week with […]
Misdiagnosis

A patient’s symptoms may not always be easy to diagnose, but doctors are trained to determine all of the different factors that could be causing a patient’s symptoms in order to properly rule out any life-threatening diseases or illnesses. If a doctor fails to consider all of the different factors that could be affecting one’s […]
Misdiagnosis

We’ve noted before that mis-diagnosis is almost always a product of the failure of doctors to rigorously apply the differential diagnosis method taught in medical school.  A new book offers supporting evidence of our experience.  “How Doctors Think,” by Jerome Groopman, M.D. uses many illustrations to make the point that mistakes come from “thinking” errors, […]
Medical Error + Misdiagnosis