مجله علمی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی کردستان (Mar 2024)
Frequency and Causes of Gynecology and Midwifery Malpractice in the Cases Presented in the Medical Council of Kurdistan Province During the Years 2016-2020
Abstract
Background and Aim: Medical malpractice is one of the major concerns of the health system in the profession of midwifery and gynecological nursing which can lead to death and injury in two vulnerable groups of mothers and babies and can make it difficult for doctors and midwives who had committed malpractice to return to their usual medical practice and provide service to other patients. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of malpractice in the field of midwifery and gynecological nursing and factors related to it in the cases presented in the medical council of Kurdistan province in 2016-2020. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective descriptive-analytical study, all complaint files related to midwifery in the medical council of Kurdistan province in 2016-2020 were reviewed. The data collection tool included a checklist that was prepared and completed by the researcher by using the patient files. Using SPSS software (version 24), Data were analyzed by descriptive statistical tests and chi-square and. Results: Among 68 cases raised in the medical council, 32 were acquitted and 36 were convicted. The mean age of the plaintiffs was 32.35±6.43 years and most of them had primary education (38.2%). 94.1% of plaintiffs had no history of illness. The most common complaint was physical injury (41.2%) and the most common malpractice was maternal defect (32.4%). Most cases of malpractice were related to gynecologists (55.6%). The most common cause of malpractice was imprudence (40.0%). In addition, most cases of malpractice occurred in a teaching hospital (91.7%), in the maternity ward (63.9%) and in the night shift (41.7%). The frequency of malpractice showed a significant relationship with the city (P<0.001) and the education level of the patients (P=0.002). Furthermore, among the factors related to malpractice, only the results of malpractice showed a significant relationship with the characteristics of malpractice (P=0.042). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that most cases of medical malpractice occurred due to imprudence. Moreover, the most common cause of maternal and fetal death was due to imprudence and the most common cause of maternal and fetal defects was ineptitude. Therefore, we recommend necessary measures to increase the clinical skills of gynecologists and midwives in educational programs, and also workshops for increasing clinical skills according to the national protocols for those who have these professions.
