Investigation of medical malpractices in the field of orthopedics and associating factors in the cases referred to the legal medicine organization of Guilan province

Alireza Badsar; Mehran  Soleimanha; Noushin  Yousefi; Ehsan  Kazemnezhad Leyli; Mani  HasanBabaii

Authors

Alireza Badsar Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Mehran Soleimanha Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Orthopaedic Research Center, Poursina Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Noushin Yousefi Forensic Expert, General Department of Forensic Medicine, Guilan Province, Rasht, Iran
Ehsan Kazemnezhad Leyli Department of Biostatistics, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Road Trauma Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Mani HasanBabaii General Practitioner, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

Keywords:

General surgery, Forensic medicine, Malpractice complaints

Abstract

Introduction: Medical malpractice is a type of treatment that fails to reach the standards of conventional medical treatment and as a result, the patient suffers injury. In addition to affecting the health of individuals, medical malpractice also has negative effects on the physicians’ personal and social life. Studies show that despite advances in technology and medical sciences the number of malpractice complaints is increasing, according to studies, the highest count of malpractice complaints referred in the Legal medicine organization in Iran has been done against orthopedic specialists, which indicates the necessity of the present study.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive and retrospective study, all complaints of medical malpractice in the field of orthopedics archived in the Legal Medicine Organization during 1391-1396 was examined. The method of data collection was through checklists and information gathered from the archived complaint files.

Results: Based on the findings of this study, from the beginning of 1391 to the end of 1396, 67 complaints were registered about orthopedic surgery. 49 patients were male and 18 were female. 17 were single and the rest were married. Of these, 40 patients were treated in public university centers, 10 in non-university government centers, and 17 in private centers. Of surgeries 17 were emergencies and 50 were elective. The site of injury in 29 patients was the upper limb and shoulder and 38 the lower limbs and pelvis. In total, out of 67 registered complaints, 38 were acquitted and 29 cases were found guilty of medical malpractice.

Conclusion: Among the registered surgery complaints in the Legal Medicine Organization of Guilan Province, the highest number of complaints were of surgeries operated on male patients. In addition, the highest number of complaints from married patients were related to cosmetic surgeries, elective surgeries, and surgeries performed in public university centers. More than 50% of the verdicts issued, held the practitioner responsible for medical malpractice. Malpractice verdicts had no significant correlation with the variables that were observed in this study.