Frequency and Causes of Complaints against Orthopedics, Emergency Medicine Specialists, and Neurosurgeons in Guilan Province: A Cross-Sectional Study

Shahriar  Mousavinejad; Hamidreza Sami  Jafarbeiglou; Erfan  Badsar; Alireza  Badsar; Kourosh  Delpasand

doi:10.18502/jimc.v9i3.21819

Shahriar Mousavinejad Department of Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Hamidreza Sami Jafarbeiglou Razi Clinical Research Development Unit, Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Erfan Badsar Razi Clinical Research Development Unit, Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Alireza Badsar Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Kourosh Delpasand School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jimc.v9i3.21819

Keywords: Complaints, Emergency medicine, Forensic medicine, Medical errors, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics

Abstract

Background: To enhance healthcare delivery in sensitive medical fields, it was aimed to investigate common medical errors in orthopedics, neurosurgery, and emergency medicine. By analyzing the frequency and diversity of registered complaints and expert requests from the legal medicine organization, some strategies were proposed to reduce complaints against the mentioned specialists.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the complaints lodged against orthopedic surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, and neurosurgeons practicing in Guilan Province. Variables included complainant gender, age, education, occupation, complainant relationship to the patient, specialist gender/specialty, negligence cause/percentage, verdict, medical error location, complaint reason, injury severity, fatal injury, and healthcare errors. All the statistical analyses were carried out by using SPSS (version 22.0). A two-tailed p<0.05 was considered to be of statistical significance.

Results: In this study, 190 complaint files were reviewed against medical specialists in orthopedics (62.1%), neurosurgery (21.6%), and emergency medicine (16.3%). The complainants were predominantly male (70.5%), with an average age of 42.01 years. Court verdicts resulted in acquittal in 62.6% of the cases and negligence in 37.4%, with carelessness and wrong treatment major causes. The court verdicts did not differ significantly based on the specialist’s gender, medical specialty and fatal injuries (p>0.05). However, a statistically significant association was observed between negligence rulings and healthcare errors (p=0.019).

Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for enhanced clinical oversight, healthcare quality improvement, continuous physician training, and streamlined complaint processes to reduce grievances and improve patient satisfaction.