Husain Bagherian Mahmoodabadi; Mehrdad Setareh; Mandana Nejadnick; Mahbube Niknamian; Ali Aubian
Volume 9, Issue 1 , March and April 2012
Abstract
Background: The prevalence of new diseases and increased number of patient referring to health care centers cause more medical malpractice. This study aimed to identify the frequency and reasons of medical errors in cases referred to Isfahan Legal Medicine Commission during 2005-2009. It also tried to ...
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Background: The prevalence of new diseases and increased number of patient referring to health care centers cause more medical malpractice. This study aimed to identify the frequency and reasons of medical errors in cases referred to Isfahan Legal Medicine Commission during 2005-2009. It also tried to provide ways to reduce such errors. Methods: In a descriptive, cross-sectional study, 380 cases of medical errors referred to Isfahan Legal Medicine Commission from 2005-2009 were evaluated. Due to inaccessibility and incompleteness of information, and also uselessness of some cases, 352 cases were finally investigated. The data was collected by a checklist whose validity was obtained by the opinions of experts in several stages. Data collection methods were resource review and observation. Data was analyzed by SPSS11. Results: The 352 studied records included claims from individuals. Among physicians and surgeons, general practitioners were claimed more than others (15.3%). Anesthesiologists, obstetrics and gynecologists, general surgeons and orthopedic specialists were claimed in 9.3%, 8.3%, 7.6%, and 7.4% of cases, respectively. Among other health care professionals, nurses had the highest frequency of claims (9.8%). They were in the second rank of total sentences. In addition, 36.9% of sentences led to conviction among which general practitioners were in the first place (15.3%). The average age of staff was 43 years. The highest frequency of claims (23.2%) was observed in the age group of 35-40 years. Males constituted 68.2% of the medical staff. Among the 23 cases of administrative staff errors, 91.3% cases led to conviction. In 35.2% of cases, negligence was the main reason of medical malpractice. In 46.4% of the issued convictions, a blood money of 1-10% was determined. Conclusion: Our results showed that patients' claims of medical staff were increased during the past 5 years. In fact, while 62 cases belonged to 2006, 108 cases were reported in 2010. Although medical errors are inconsiderable when the delivered health care services are concerned, identifying their reasons and a proper health care management would lead to higher quality of provided services. Key Words: Malpractice; Forensic Medicine; Health Services.
Marzieh Javadi; Maryam Yaghoobi; Ahmadreza Raiesi; Hassan Ali Mandegar; Ali Ayoobian
Volume 8, Issue 5 , November and December 2011
Abstract
Introduction: Good relationships between patients and doctors and other health professionals have long been seen as the bedrock of patient satisfaction. In addition to important health care outcomes, health systems must also meet the non-medical expectations of the community. This study aimed to survey ...
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Introduction: Good relationships between patients and doctors and other health professionals have long been seen as the bedrock of patient satisfaction. In addition to important health care outcomes, health systems must also meet the non-medical expectations of the community. This study aimed to survey the accountability and non-medical service provision in selected hospitals in Isfahan Methods: This was a descriptive, retrospective study conducted in eight selected public and private hospitals in Isfahan during 2010. The statistical population included 320 inpatients and nurses selected through stratified random sampling. Data was collected was by the World Health Organization (WHO) questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by professors and administrators. The reliability of the questionnaire was also calculated to be 0.89 by Cronbach's alpha. Data was analyzed by SPSS. Results: The mean score of accountability from the viewpoints of nurses and patients was 2.3 ± 0.54 and 2.48 ± 0.58 (out of a maximum of 4), respectively. Nurses and patients respectively considered confidentiality (2.41 ± 0.8) and access to social support during the hospitalization period (2.62 ± 0.9) as the best aspects of non-medical services. However, choice of therapist and physical facilities of the treatment centers were determined as weak points by the patients and nurses, respectively. Conclusion: Since patients and nurses had almost identical perceptions toward the non-medical services. Therefore, in order to enhance service quality, which is of great importance to the WHO, more attention needs to be paid to accountability mechanisms and better quality services. Key Words: Quality of Healthcare; Patient; Patient Care; Hospitals.
