‘No more clots’ campaign to prevent DVT

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has launched a ‘No more clots’ campaign to reduce preventable venous thromboembolism (VTE) by 20% over the next year—this is one of the Trust’s priorities for quality improvement in 2010/11.

VTE, a collective term which covers deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a major cause of avoidable deaths—it is estimated that in England each year more than 25,000 die from preventable VTE contracted in hospital.

All adult patients admitted to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital now have an electronic VTE risk assessment on admission which is then repeated within 24 hours of admission.

A poster competition attracted 22 entries from staff keen to see their design used to promote awareness of the ‘No more clots’ campaign—the winners were the Medical Day Unit team, Lenka Medlik (Clinical Psychologist), Snehal Shah (Pharmacist) and Jennifer Nelson (Electronic Patient Record team).

Consultant Haematologist, Dr Helen Yarranton says: “The ‘No more clots’ campaign aims to raise awareness among staff and patients of the importance of preventing VTE.

“Identifying patients at risk of thrombosis, providing appropriate treatment and giving patients information on the risks and symptoms of DVT and PE will help prevent unnecessary deaths and disability in our patients.”