Challenges of Medical Errors and Adverse Affects, and the Solutions for Preventing Them in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Medical errors and adverse events are the main reasons of many avoidable deaths and imposed expenditures in worldwide health systems. Hence, this study aimed to recognize some challenges, medical errors and adverse events, and to address the appropriate solutions to solve them in the Iranian health system.
This qualitative study had three main resources of data including key informants, national documents and expert panel. Key informants (30 persons) and experts ( 12 persons) were selected purposefully from macro, meso and micro levels of health system and some other health related organizations. Data were interpreted and analyzed through a mixed (inductive/deductive) thematic framework.
Findings: Although most reasons of medical error were in relation with weak patient security system and low level security culture in hospitals, other factors like manpower and, physical and out of hospital environment agents induced these errors, too. Identification of medical error reasons in different levels of heath system, documentation of errors and generation a consolidated system for recognition and following the errors and their main causes are the most considerable solutions for decreasing the medical errors in the country.
Removing the reasons of medical errors and adverse events can be a great step for preventing them. It is necessary to eliminate the medical error related challenges and to develop the consonant programs in national level via conclusive will of organizations, groups and individuals.