In Illinois and elsewhere, healthcare professionals have a duty to perform medical responsibilities ably and with proper regard to patient safety. While doctors and nurses may perform their duties well most of the time, other times medical professionals make serious mistakes. When these mistakes lead to patient injury, individuals or their families may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim against whoever was responsible.

Unfortunately, medical mistakes are not always readily apparent, which can exacerbate the injury suffered by the patient. Nonetheless, doctors and nurses in Bloomington and throughout Illinois have a professional obligation to their patients to openly and honestly disclose any mistakes as soon as an error is discovered. Yet according to a new study, nearly 20 percent of doctors said that they did not fully disclose an error because they feared it would lead to a lawsuit.

This astonishing statistic was revealed in a study published in the February 2012 edition of Health Affairs. The researchers who published the study based the results on a survey of more than 1,800 physicians. In addition, the survey also revealed that a third of respondents did not believe that doctors should necessarily confess to their mistakes all of the time.

The majority of doctors are competent professionals who believe in putting the patient's well-being ahead of their own. However, the study makes quite clear that some doctors will seek to hide their mistakes, which could very well lead to further injuries suffered by patients. Whenever a medical mistake that causes harm to the patient occurs, Illinois law allows the injured party to file a medical malpractice claim against the healthcare provider. Through such a claim, the patient may be able to obtain due compensation for the harm caused by the medical mistake. Moreover, when a medical professional fails or delays in disclosing an error, that action may also be grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Source: The Washington Post, "Study: Some doctors not always honest with patients, shading prognosis, not revealing errors," Feb. 8, 2012