Designing an instructional guideline for common medical errors in gynecology and obstetrics

The aim of this qualitative study was to determine the most important medical errors made by gynecology residents. This study used a Delphi technique in three rounds. First, a list of common errors was prepared using a questionnaire, then the most important errors were prioritized and finally, the managerial and training procedures were determined for errors. In this study, 45 common errors were detected. The most common errors were inadequate surgical homeostasis, excessive use of magnesium sulfate, managerial error of post-operative infections; undiagnosed pulmonary embolism and incorrect prescription of heparin. Specialists and residents stated that designing an instructional guideline was the best method to manage all kinds of errors. Different regulatory and training procedures should be applied to prevent and control errors. An effective method for professional practitioners is designing instructional guidelines. In this study, an instructional manual was developed for the most frequent errors observed in obstetrics and gynecology