Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate orthopedic complaints submitted to the disciplinary court of Mashhad Medical Council.
Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive-analytical study on orthopedic claims in Mashhad during 2011 to 2013. Data including gender of plaintiff and defendant, subject of claim and the final verdict were entered into predesigned checklists.
Results: Among the orthopedic complaints, most cases were related to the lower-limb surgery (52%) followed by the upper-limb surgery (48%). Among these, the knee (39%) and arm (38.5%) constituted the highest number of claims. Most of the upper and lower-limb surgery complaints were related to postoperative complications that were most commonly due to malunion (32.8% and 38.8%, respectively). Among the complaints related to intraoperative complications, most were related to nerve injury (38.5%) in the lower limbs and negligence in performing the procedure (48.6%) in the upper limbs. In the present study, 70.8% of defendants were found not guilty and 10.4% were found guilty. In 4.2% of cases, the plaintiff acquiesced and 2.1% of the cases were archived due to plaintiff's failure to track.
Conclusion: Common malpractices of orthopedic should be considered by orthopedists and educational authorities to avoid repetition and reduce the amount of them. Dealing with commitment and providing the necessary scientific and logical explanation about the procedure and possible complications to the patient and his family can have a significant effect in reducing the amount of claims.