Examination of the opinions issued by the Tehran Medical Commissions Department in cases of complaints about misdiagnosis in medical abortion cases from March 2016 to March 2020

Background and Aim: The statistical yearbook of forensic medicine shows an annual increase in the number of cases referred to medical commissions due to complaints of "diagnostic error in abortion cases". Although perhaps one of the reasons for the increase in the number of complaints is the increase in the number of clients, it seems necessary to evaluate the performance of forensic experts in order to find the causes of the upward trend of complaints. In the present study, the performance of the aforementioned doctors was investigated in relation to the compliance with the latest laws approved in Iran regarding Medical abortion. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, all the opinions issued in the cases referred to the medical commissions department of Tehran province due to the complaint of "diagnostic error in abortion cases" from March 2016 to March 2020 were reviewed. Results: Out of a total of 22 existing cases, the opinions issued in all cases were in accordance with the latest laws approved in Iran. The most complaints (40.9%) were from gynecologists and obstetricians. In all cases, ultrasound was performed to determine the age of the fetus (gestational age) between 8 and 10 weeks of pregnancy, and the gestational age at the time of the diagnostic error was less than 19 weeks, so a medical commission had to be formed for all of them, which was done correctly. Review of opinions issued indicated 6 cases (27.3%) of disciplinary errors, 15 cases (68.2%) of acquittal, and 1 case (4.5%) of the impossibility of issuing a theory due to the lack of evidence and documentation in the file. Conclusion: Although compliance of conformity of the opinions issued in the medical commissions office of Tehran province with the latest laws approved in abortion cases was 100%, but it seems that the continuous training of the latest laws approved in the country regarding "medical abortion" due to their frequent changes for Forensic specialists is necessary to reduce the number of related complaints.