What is a VTE risk assessment?
A venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment is a structured clinical evaluation completed for every adult inpatient on admission to hospital, to estimate the risk of developing a hospital-acquired blood clot (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) and to weigh that against the risk of bleeding.
NICE NG89 recommends that the assessment is documented within 24 hours of admission and reassessed at 24 hours or whenever the clinical condition changes. The output of the assessment guides whether mechanical or pharmacological thromboprophylaxis is offered, or whether prophylaxis is contraindicated and the reason recorded.
VTE risk assessment is a national patient-safety standard in the UK and supports, but does not replace, clinical judgement. Local policy, formulary and specialist haematology advice should be followed.
Recommends VTE risk assessment for all hospital inpatients on admission and at 24 hours, with reassessment if clinical condition changes.
View sourceHistorically required ≥ 95% of adult inpatients to receive a VTE risk assessment on admission.
View sourceProvides benchmarking data for compliance with VTE assessment standards across acute trusts.
View source- Trust VTE policy and prescribing guideline
- Electronic prescribing VTE assessment workflow
- Local prophylaxis dose adjustments (renal impairment, extremes of weight)
- Patient information leaflet on hospital-acquired thrombosis