Investigation of the Level of Knowledge About Venous Thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the most common diseases with high morbidity and mortality. The disease presents a public health challenge worldwide due to population aging. The public awareness of VTE may help in its prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment. Studies on public awareness about VTE are limited globally. We aimed to assess the level of knowledge about VTE in patients who visit a structure of Primary Health Care.

A convenience sampling method was used. Subjects completed a questionnaire with closed-ended questions.

Of the 200 participants, 51% were women, 64% were > 65 years, 9.5% had no chronic disease, and 46.5% had multiple co-morbidities. The majority (86%) of the participants were found to have an overall moderate level of knowledge, with an average score of 46.3 (±11.5). Similar results were reported about symptoms/signs of the disease (average score 54.82), risk factors (51.9), while the reported results about global knowledge had a significantly lower average score (34.44). Both in the overall knowledge score and in the individual groupings, we observed that females and higher education levels are correlated with a higher level of knowledge.

In conclusion, a moderate lack of knowledge about VTE is demonstrated among the study population. The study reveals the need to strengthen collective programs of information and education of the public opinion through national planning and competent bodies, with parallel participation and awakening of the medical world.