The number of people being screened for their risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) on admission to hospital has increased following recommendations made by NICE.
Department of Health statistics show that 68% of the 2.9 million adult patients admitted to care in England between October and December last year were checked for their risk of blood clots. Just over half of patients received a check when the first data collection was made in June 2010. Between October and December 2010, the proportion of hospital providers who reported that at least half of adult admissions were risk assessed or VTE increased from 74% to 84.1%. It is estimated that 25,000 people admitted to hospital die from preventable VTE each year, leading the Department of Health to make prevention a priority across the NHS. NICE says all adult patients, without exception, should be assessed with a checklist on being admitted to hospital. It is estimated that around 10,000 lives could be saved each year if hospitals follow NICE’s guidelines on reducing the risk of VTE.
