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Published on: February 10, 2023
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Adherence to Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Guidelines in Medical Patients
Ning Lee1, Min Ning Chu2, Dasitha Narangoda3
1Medicine, Letterkenny University Hospital, Letterkenny, IRL.
Cureus
|April 20, 2026
Summary
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis adherence was suboptimal in hospitalized patients. Both underuse and overuse of preventative measures were observed, highlighting a need for improved risk assessment and documentation.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Clinical Audit
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of preventable harm in hospitalized medical patients.
- Clinical practice variations lead to under- or over-utilization of thromboprophylaxis despite available guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To audit adherence to VTE prophylaxis guidelines in a single-center hospital.
- To identify factors contributing to non-adherence in medical inpatients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective clinical audit of 100 medical inpatients within a two-month period.
- VTE risk assessment using the Padua Prediction Score and bleeding risk evaluation.
- Comparison of prescribed thromboprophylaxis with local hospital guidelines.
Main Results:
- 58% of patients were high VTE risk; 64% of these received inappropriate prophylaxis.
- 57.1% of low-risk patients were managed inappropriately, often with unnecessary pharmacological prophylaxis.
- Contributing factors included poor documentation of weight, incorrect dosing, and lack of documented risk assessment.
Conclusions:
- Adherence to VTE prophylaxis guidelines was suboptimal, with both under- and over-prescription.
- Structured risk assessment tools and improved admission documentation are recommended to enhance compliance and patient safety.
Keywords:
padua prediction scorephysician guideline adherencesafety patientthromboprophylaxisvenous thromboembolism (vte)More Related Videos
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