25.06.13
Venous thromboemolism outcomes improved by national programme
The national prevention programme has improved outcomes for patients with hospital-associated venous thromboemolism (VTE), a new study by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust shows.
The programme involves a root cause analysis of all cases carried out to identify problems, measure outcomes and facilitate learning to improve VTE prevention.
It led to 20% fewer hospital-associated blood clots and a 40% reduction in events related to inadequate preventative treatment.
Professor Roopen Arya, clinical lead for the National VTE Prevention Programme, who led the work at King’s College Hospital, said: “This has been one of the biggest quality and safety improvement initiatives I have witnessed in the NHS and the huge achievement of colleagues across healthcare deserves acknowledgement.
“The latest data shows that almost 95% of all patients are now known to be risk assessed for VTE on admission to hospitals. It is pleasing that we have been able to show this has resulted in improved outcomes for patients and it is very important that we build on this and develop a national registry of hospital-associated thrombosis so we can gather data from all hospitals as well as share the learning and improve practice.”
Dr Mike Durkin, director of patient safety for NHS England, said: “The introduction of a system-wide approach to VTE prevention in England has been a huge step in making our hospitals a safer place for patients. It is all the more important that we are now demonstrating through this work at King’s that this hard work has improved outcomes.”
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