Background: Medical malpractice is a major issue in the healthcare system and can result in patient harm and higher medical expenses. Unfortunately, incidents of medical malpractice have been on the rise. To address this issue, a study was conducted to identify the reasons behind complaints made by anaesthesiologists referred to forensic medicine in Fars province.
Method: This study was a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study. The cases related to the medical malpractice of anaesthesiologists in the General Department of Forensic Medicine of Fars Province during the years ۲۰۰۶-۲۰۱۷ were reviewed. Demographic information including (age, gender, education level, year of filing complaint, type of commission, initial investigation in the medical system, percentage of malpractice, representation in the case, autopsy result, type of anaesthesia used, complaint, time of anaesthesia malpractice, surgical fields of the case Complaints, malpractice cases, underlying disease of the patient, physical condition of the plaintiff after the malpractice incident, motivation for the complaint, causes of anaesthesia leading to death, cases leading to malpractice, malpractice cases of the anaesthesiologist).
Results: Out of all the cases, ۴۶ of them (۵۴.۱%) had female plaintiffs, while ۲۵ cases (۲۹.۸%) involved plaintiffs who were under ۲۰ years old. Additionally, ۳۳ of the cases (۳۹.۳%) involved plaintiffs without a diploma, and the highest number of complaints were from the year ۲۰۱۵, with ۲۴ complaints (۲۷.۶%). The majority of complainants in these cases, ۲۶ people (۳۰.۶%), were related to anaesthesiologists, and the highest number of complaints were related to obstetrics and gynaecology, with ۱۶ cases (۲۱.۱%). When it comes to anaesthesiologist malpractice, ۶ cases (۱۹.۴%) were due to carelessness, ۲۳ cases (۷۴.۲%) were due to negligence, and ۲ cases (۶.۵%) were due to a lack of skills of the anaesthesiologist.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is evident that anaesthesia is a critically important and risky field within medicine. By analysing the complaints highlighted in this study, it has been determined that anaesthesia personnel should receive training in teaching hospitals. This training should cover the administration of airways, roads, and how to work with young patients. By doing so, they can apply their skills with greater accuracy and precision, leading to higher levels of satisfaction and fewer complaints.