How to manage venous thromboembolism risk in hospitalized medical patients

BACKGROUND: Deep venous thrombosis causes morbidity and mortality for hospitalized patients. There are several risk factors for developing deep venous thrombosis including trauma, immobilization, and surgery. Complications of deep venous thrombosis result from the delay in diagnosis and treatment, so prophylaxis is the perfect option to avoid these serious complications, especially for those at risk. AIM: The aim of this is to investigate the impact of DVT protocol on thromboprophylaxis in minimizing the disease burden of under-recognized and preventable pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective descriptive study which used DVT protocol through the Knowledge Translation Committee (KTC). RESULTS: Suboptimal prophylaxis decreased from 47% in 2011 to 6% in 2017, whereas appropriate prophylaxis increased among patients from 45% in 2011 to 89% in 2017. CONCLUSION: There was an increase in offering DVT prophylaxis for hospitalized medical patients as a result of the implementation of DVT protocol through KTC.