The Topics category collects substantive explainers on specific issues in Ontario medical malpractice practice. Each post takes a single topic, clinical or legal, and works through it in depth: what the condition or concept is, how it appears in malpractice litigation, what the standard of care and causation analysis typically looks like, and what patients and their families should understand about it.
The topics range across the clinical and legal landscape: cancer misdiagnosis, delayed sepsis diagnosis, cauda equina syndrome, hospital falls, ER discharge issues, medication errors, surgical negligence, hallway medicine and the systemic conditions that contribute to error, and emerging issues such as health misinformation online and the standard of care for newer pharmaceuticals. Some posts focus on patient-facing concerns (what should patients watch for, how are claims investigated, what are the common patterns of error in a given context). Others focus on broader trends in the area (whether malpractice is rising in Canada, how communication failures generate civil and regulatory exposure).
Posts in this category are longer and more substantive than the FAQ entries. They are written for prospective clients, family members of injured patients, journalists, and members of the public who want to understand how Ontario law actually applies to a particular kind of medical injury or system failure.
Posts in this category should not be relied on as legal advice. They are starting points for understanding a topic; specific cases require advice on their specific facts.
A delayed cancer diagnosis can be the difference between life and death. A patient’s guide to the common causes and what it takes to prove a claim in Ontario.
GLP-1 drugs are now mainstream medicine in Canada. When prescribing falls below the standard of care, the harms can be serious and the legal questions are real.
Most ER visits are for minor concerns. For the small number that are not, missing the diagnosis can be fatal. Five conditions that recur in malpractice cases.
Ectopic pregnancy is a leading cause of first-trimester maternal death. When the diagnosis is delayed, the consequences can be catastrophic.
Sepsis is one of medicine’s most time-sensitive diagnoses. When it is missed, the consequences are catastrophic and often preventable.
Most hospital falls are not negligent. Some are. A practical guide to when a fall in hospital becomes a legal claim, and what patients should do next.
Most bad outcomes in medicine are not malpractice. After two decades of these cases in Ontario, here are the signs worth taking seriously.
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