Write a Frequency of medical errors complaints against medical health centres in the region of Al Madinah Al Munawarah Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over 3 years 1434-1435-1436H

INTRODUCTION

One of the significant concerns globally is the medical errors that can result in serious and life-threatening medical events for the patients. Very less information is available regarding medical errors in Madinah. This systematic review’s objectives were to critically review the complaints regarding medical errors in Madinah region. Medical error can be described as the failure of the predetermined action that has to be accomplished as intended (an execution’s error) or utilization of a wrong program or plan for achieving the aim (a planning error) (Reason, 1990). It is, therefore, is an unplanned act or work (either of commission or omission) or one which fails to attain the intended result (Leape, 1994). Hence, it is the divergence from the procedure of care that may or may not results in harm of the patient (Reason, 2001).

The definition proposed by Reason differentiates between errors occurring in planning and errors occurring during execution, acknowledging that technical, physical, and/or mental failures, they all can lead to errors. However, his definition does not apply to errors related to omission, i.e., what in case there is no action or plan? The definition by Leape recognizes that activities or actions of the commission, as well as, actions of omission both contribute significantly towards medical errors, but omits the premeditated acts, which are based on the incorrect plans except when the activities or actions that are based on the premeditated plans result in unintended results or consequences.

It has been that occurrence of medical errors is prevalent in clinical practices, and these errors lead to considerable mortality and morbidity. According to the study of a Harvard Medical Practice, there was the occurrence of in about 3.7% of hospitalizations, and in about 2.6% patients there occurred permanent disabling traumas or injuries. Similar incidences have been reported by other studies also. For instance, 6.6 per 1000 rates during admissions in France, about 2% of New Zealand’s admissions, and around 0.4% in Australia’s general practice. A “medical liability claim” can be described as a cause or a claim of lack of proper treatment or action reporting treatment that deviates from the standards that are accepted related to the medical care and which proximately lead to the death or injury of a patient.

In the region of Madinah, medical litigations’ process initiates as soon as the patient or his/her relatives report a complaint of malpractice regarding the medical process from their perspective that results in mortality or morbidity. Investigational, as well as, interrogatory processes, start with all the medical staff members who attended the event or were involved in the process of sharing medical responsibility during the event. LHO then delegates to follow thoroughly the process of reviewing all the related documents, as well as, medical filling along with interviewing both the parties or sides occurring in a claim “the plaintiff and defendant” for reaching a final judgment or verdict of clearance or accusation from the claim as per the “Regulations of Medical Practice,” based on the aspects of professionalism and is governed by the laws of the Islamic Shariah. Professional liability can be described as an entity that covers three distinct aspects, which are civil liability, punitive liability, and disciplinary liability. Civil liability can be described as a physician’s responsibility towards any kind of harm related to the patient that is being inflicted that can be caused by the direct action or activity against the rules of the medical regulations from the physician or is a result of the proven negligence. On the other hand, the punitive liability can be described as a liability that deals with the practitioners or physicians who are involved in the violation of any kind of rules or regulations related to the medical practice still if no subsequent harm or injury is caused to the patient. Moreover, the disciplinary liability is a liability when the physician or practitioner failed to meet all the requirements, professional standards, as well as, ethics. 

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