Hospitalized Patients

Providing care for hospitalized patients can be both stressful and demanding. Nurses often find themselves overwhelmed with the number of tasks they are expected to complete. Due to the large amount of patient care tasks, many nurses forget to implement orders or educate patients on important prophylactic treatments. All hospitalized patients are at an increased risk of developing a venous thromboembolism, no matter the reason for their hospitalization (The American Heart Association, 2017). Venous thromboembolisms pose great risks and are a substantial source of morbidity and mortality to hospitalized patients. Although most venous thromboembolisms are considered preventable, the use of prophylactic treatment is underused in hospitals (National

If the clot is in a deep vein, which is usually a lower extremity, they are referred to as deep vein thrombi. If the clot breaks away and travels to the lung, they are referred as a pulmonary embolism. Deep vein thrombi, and pulmonary embolisms are categorized as venous thromboembolisms (International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2017). Although all hospitalized patients are at an increased risk of venous thromboembolism development, patients whom pose the highest risk include: patients who have cancer, had major surgery, experienced trauma, and/or are significantly immobile (The American Heart Association, 2017). Due to the nature of thromboembolism development, the risks of development have been present whenever an individual is injured or experienced decrease mobility.

Today both nurses and physicians are educated on the significant risks of venous thromboembolisms and the extreme importance of their prevention. A large role of a registered nurse is to be a patient advocate. Nurses can play a vital role in venous thromboembolism prevention by adhering to written orders, policies and procedures, and asking a physician for a medicinal or physical prophylactic order if one is missing. It is the responsibility of the nurse to recognize the risk of venous thromboembolism development, educate patients on the importance of preventative measures, and obtain proper

Venous Thromboembolism prevention was the topic of the January 2013 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Grand Round. The information was later reviewed in a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has worked extremely hard in supporting research and prevention of venous thromboembolisms on a national level. Currently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has three national goals regarding healthcare acquired venous thromboembolisms. These goals include: To strengthen the monitoring of venous thromboembolisms by healthcare providers, to identify best practice implementations, and educate others on evidence based best practice regarding venous thromboembolism prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,