The Use of Surgical Care Improvement Projects in Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism

Venous Thromboembolism and Pulmonary Embolism: Strategies for Prevention and Management

Perioperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication within the surgical patient population. Perioperative mechanical and chemoprophylaxis have been shown to reduce the incidence of both deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Prophylactic regimen must be tailored to the patient's individual risk factors as well as the nature of the procedure. In the event of VTE, treatment most commonly includes long-term anticoagulation, whereas more severe cases may require lytic or mechanical interventions.

Chinese orthopaedic nurses' knowledge, attitude and venous thromboembolic prophylactic practices: A multicentric cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

Venous thromboembolism is a severe preventable complication among orthopaedic surgical patients. Integrating therapeutic guidelines into clinical practice can help improve patient safety and reduce the burden of this pathology. Improving the quality of patient care is important for bridging the gap between the prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism and therapeutic guidelines.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed at evaluating the knowledge, attitude, and venous thromboembolism and prophylaxis practices of Chinese orthopaedic nurses to guide quality care improvements.

METHODS

The data used in this study are secondary data obtained from a multicentric survey. An anonymous questionnaire was used to measure the attitude and knowledge of venous thromboembolic prophylaxis among orthopaedic nurses. VTE prophylactic practices were extracted from medical records within the electronic case report form immediately after the nurses' investigations. The STROBE statement for observational studies was applied.

RESULTS

Results indicated that although 94.0% of the responding nurses had attended training courses in their wards, a majority of them (68.9%) achieved a median knowledge score of 7 points or below (range 0-9). Knowledge regarding the proper use of prophylaxis, identification of risk factors, signs and symptoms for pulmonary embolism was limited. Self-reported attitudes underestimate the relationships between venous thromboembolism and low-quality nursing care. Pharmacological prophylaxis was highly used (90.9%), while the utilisation of mechanical prophylaxis and its proper use was relatively low.

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese orthopaedic nurses demonstrated enthusiasm for venous thromboembolism and prophylaxis. Their knowledge needs to be improved, including the proper use of prophylaxis, identification of risk factors, signs and symptoms. Mechanical prophylaxis practice for VTE prevention after THA and TKA surgical procedures is not optimistic. Further studies should analyse the causes from multiple perspectives, including the availability of resources, the knowledge and attitude of doctors, nurses and patients.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The findings from this study can be used to develop and implement interventions for venous thromboembolism after orthopaedic surgery.