Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIM: Nurse’s mistakes usually have a strong effect on the patients trust and satisfaction in the health services systems, and it can also lead to stress and moral contradicts among nurses. This study has aimed to survey the rate of nurses’ mistakes, according to documents in the Isfahan Province during 2007-2012.

METHODS: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample population consisted of all complaints concerning nursing services provided in hospitals, private clinics and other health service centers between 2007 and 2012, submitted to the Forensic Medicine Commission Office, in Isfahan. The data were collected by a cheklist and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 software.

RESULTS: Out of 708 complaints, 70 (9.8%) cases were related to nurses. Twenty-four cases led to awards. The age range of nurses was 35-40 (25.7%).  Out of 70 nurses with a record, 75% (53 people) were female and the rest were male. Sixty four nurses (91.4%) were working in hospitals. Negligence was the first basis of the court rulings (16 cases out of 24). Nurses’ recklessness in providing services was due to their convictions among 66.7% of the cases

CONCLUSION: Although efforts to reduce and control nurses’ faults and mistakes depends on using a system for studying  and removing the factors which lead to faults, human error is inevitable in every occupation and a 100% accurate operation is unreachable.

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