[ survey of complaints against physicians reviewed at Kermanshah Medical Council 2001-2005]

Medical complaints affect a large number of the physicians. Apart from them being a waste of time, money and energy, lawsuits can be source of great stress for the physician. So far, no survey of medical complaints has been conducted in Kermanshah. This study examines complaints processed through Kermanshah Medical Council between 2001 and 2005. In this descriptive study, a convenient sampling was carried out: using the files available at Kermanshah Medical Council in the period of 2001 to 2005. From a total of 544 cases reviewed, 462 were included in the study. Data was gathered through a check list based on objectives and in accordance with the council's regulations, including demographic characteristics of patients and physician, type of disease, reason to see physician, intervention, choice of physician, type of disease, reason to see physician, intervention, choice of physician, treatment, reason for complaint, length of process and the verdict. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistic. Overall, 462 complaints were examined, 95% of cases involved a physician with gynecologists, orthopedists, dentists and general surgeons making up 19%, 14.7%, 13.1% and 11.1% of the total respectively. Complaints regarding the outcome of an operation represented 65.2% of the total. Side effects [36.9%], death [24%], malpractice [13.8%] and disability [12.3%] came out as the most common reasons for complaining. The average length of process was 150/68 + 206/1. In 58.2% of the cases, the defendant had been acquitted. There was an upward trend for the number of complaints filed in the past few years. While negligence on the part of the physician remained a main cause, in many cases there was lack of conclusive evidence for complaining, reflecting the fact that people were not informed of the possible side effects that a condition and its treatment might bring about. On the other hand, this shows that medical records are by no means comprehensive

[Students' view points on the educational problems in medical school of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences [2007]]

There is no doubt that improving quality in medical education is based on analysis of the current situation. Medical students are considered one of the best resources whose viewpoints on the educational shortcomings can provide valuable information on where there is still work to be done. This study presents the students perspective on the educational problems in Medical School of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2007. This phenomenological qualitative study included 24 medical students who were at different stages of medical training. Group discussions were held and students were interviewed over several sessions. All the sessions were tape recorded and transcribed by the 3 assistants. Information was then categorized in terms of three areas of basic sciences, traineeship and internship. The most important problems were cited under the categories of educational objectives, planning, management, ethics and evaluation by the students. Among subcategories, offering specialty and subspecialty materials, the gap between basic sciences and traineeship, lack of motivation and lack of supervision on education were rated as the most important factors causing concern among the students. The results of the study have revealed a series of problems that require measures at the national level including the shortage of high -quality academic staff. However, most issues can be addressed through careful planning on the part of university officials and academic staffs