Case Studies
Closed claim studies based on actual malpractice claims
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Read ArticleFailure to diagnose cornual pregnancy
A 33-year-old woman came to the emergency department (ED) complaining of bilateral abdominal pain, back pain, and shortness of breath.
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Failure to diagnose retained sponge
A 55-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital in New Mexico for a colostomy reversal.
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Failure to diagnose tuberculosis
A two-year-old boy with a five-day history of intermittent fever and stomachache was brought to his pediatrician. The child was diagnosed with a viral syndrome and treated with simethicone drops
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Delay in detecting melanoma
A 58-year-old man came to his family physician for evaluation of a lesion on his back. The man was a long-time patient of this physician.
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Failure to insist on EMS transport
At 8:30 a.m., a patient’s wife called her husband’s family physician and requested an appointment because her husband was experiencing chest pain that began the previous evening.
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Read ArticleFailure to follow up on mammogram
A 54-year-old woman returned to her primary care physician, Family Physician A. The patient reported pain in her left arm, chest, and back that had continued for a week.
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Failure to diagnose rhabdomyolysis
At 3:20 p.m., a 3-year-old girl was brought to the emergency department (ED) with complaints of fever, lethargy, sore throat, severe leg pain bilaterally with decreased sensation, and absent reflexes.
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Failure to diagnose appendicitis
A 6-year-old boy, accompanied by his mother, came to Pediatrician A for a sick visit on October 21. The child had a five-day history of fussiness, sore throat, coughing, vomiting, stomach pain.
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Failure to diagnose pneumonia
A five-year-old girl was brought by her parents to a clinic and seen by a pediatrician as a new patient. The patient came with a one-day history of fever recorded as 104.5 degrees.
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Misdiagnosis of pancreatic cancer
The patient, a 36-year-old woman, had a 10-year history of a pancreatic cyst. She had two fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies in the previous year.
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Negligent identification of biopsy tissue
After two years of finasteride therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia, a 55-year-old man was referred to a urologist’s office.
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Failure to correctly read biopsy specimen
A 50-year-old woman had a digital screening mammogram. When compared to a mammogram taken five years earlier, the new mammogram revealed possible new calcifications.
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Failure to diagnose femur fracture
A 28-year-old man was involved in a motorcycle collision, sustaining multiple injuries. The man hit the side of a trailer and was thrown off his motorcycle.
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Failure to monitor patient’s postoperative INR
A 54-year-old woman came to an orthopedic surgeon with complaints of chronic bilateral hip pain lasting for 30 years.
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Failure to properly supervise
A 28-year-old woman came to an orthopedic clinic with right hip pain lasting for two weeks. Orthopedist A’s physician’s assistant (PA) examined the patient and obtained x-rays.
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Failure to evaluate patient
A 72-year-old man was evaluated by Ophthalmologist A on several occasions. The patient had cataracts, with best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left eye.
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Negligence in placing incorrect lens
A 59-year-old man came to his ophthalmologist complaining of ongoing visual problems. He had a long, complicated history that included uveitis, inflammation, and glaucoma.
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Improper performance — cataract surgery
A 63-year-old man came to Ophthalmologist A complaining of visual changes to both eyes. He had a history of bilateral cataracts.
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Failure to properly perform surgery
A 45-year-old woman came to her ob-gyn for complaints of heavy bleeding and pelvic pain. The patient’s history included pelvic inflammatory disease, a bilateral tubal ligation, and myomectomy.
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Failure to discontinue medication
A 34-year-old woman came to an ob-gyn for prenatal care on May 25. This was the patient’s fifth pregnancy.
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