Venous thromboembolism prevention compliance: A multidisciplinary educational approach utilizing NSQIP best practice guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Review of our institutional National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP) data found higher rate of Venous Thromboembolic Events (VTE) (2.5% vs. 1.1%). Compared to the national benchmark. Our goal was to identify opportunities for quality improvement. METHODS: We compared NSQIP general surgery data from January 2015-December 2016 (period 1) to January 2017-December 2018 (period 2). A multidisciplinary committee was developed and patient centered education implemented to enhance VTE compliance. RESULTS: Over 50% of all the patients who developed VTE were non-compliant with chemical prophylaxis. The majority of non-compliance was due to pain. During period 1 there were 12 VTEs in 482 cases, while in period two, 18 VTEs in 2347 cases (2.5% vs. 0.8%; RR 2.3, 95% CI 1.5-3.7, p < 0.001). Missed chemical prophylaxis decreased from 50 to 17 per week after the intervention. CONCLUSION: A multidisciplinary, patient centered approach to increase VTE prevention decreases VTE rates to below a comparable benchmark.