ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

International Angiology 2009 February;28(1):73-8

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Does a dedicated nurse practitioner improve thromboprophylaxis use in acutely ill medical patients in Australia? The methodology for a multicentre VTE Task Force Audit

Gibbs H., Fletcher J., Blombery P., Glennane A., Collins R

¹ Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia 2 University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia 3 The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia 4 Sanofi-Aventis, Australia

Aim. To determine the extent to which a multifaceted venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis program, coordinated by a dedicated nurse practitioner, improves the level of appropriate prophylaxis in patients hospitalised with an acute medical illness.
Methods. A multicentre clinical audit was conducted in 16 hospitals across Australia. Approximately 9600 acutely ill medical patients over 18 years of age hospitalised for at least 3 days. A 4-month programme implemented by a VTE Nurse Educator to raise awareness of the risk of VTE, the importance of risk assessment and the appropriate prophylactic management of high-risk medical patients with local VTE prophylaxis audit result feedback.
Results. The effect of this programme on the proportion of high-risk medical patients receiving appropriate thromboprophylaxis according to current guidelines.
Conclusion. The VTE Task Force Audit will be the first multicentre clinical audit in Australia to evaluate thromboprophylaxis use in acutely ill medical patients and the effects of employing a nurse educator. Based on published results from clinical audits conducted overseas, it is expected that thromboprophylaxis will be underutilised in these patients. It is hypothesised that an active multifaceted programme will improve the rate of thromboprophylaxis among eligible medical patients through the effective implementation of evidence-based guidelines.