Causes for Medical Errors in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Area of Science:

• Medical safety
• Healthcare quality improvement
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Background:

• Healthcare systems utilize quality strategies and frameworks to enhance understanding.
• Reporting adverse events is a key quality improvement strategy.
• Obstetrics and gynaecology are specialties with high rates of adverse events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the primary causes of medical errors in obstetrics and gynaecology.
• To determine preventative measures for medical errors in these specialties.
• To conduct a systematic review of existing literature.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review conducted following Prisma 2020 guidelines.
• Searched multiple databases for studies published between January 2010 and May 2023.
• Included studies identifying hospital-level risk factors for medical errors or adverse events in obstetrics/gynaecology.

Main Results:

• 26 articles were included in the quantitative analysis.
• Common contributing factors include delays in healthcare, product availability, and trained staff.
• Team training and communication were frequently cited in relation to near-misses and maternal deaths.

Conclusions:

• Identified risk factors fall into three main categories: delay of care, care coordination/management, and resource scarcity (supply, personnel, knowledge).
• These findings highlight critical areas for intervention to reduce medical errors.
• Improving these areas can enhance patient safety in obstetrics and gynaecology.