March 12, 2015: Help Us Combat DVT

Dear Colleagues,

Each year, up to 900,000 Americans suffer deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs when a blood clot forms in a large vein and completely or partially blocks circulation. Of these people, as many as 100,000 will die from pulmonary embolism (PE), the most serious complication of DVT. These victims often show no obvious symptoms of a problem before it kills them.

Yet as serious a health issue as this is, studies have repeatedly shown that patients at risk of these conditions often don't receive treatments known to help prevent them. What's more, surveys tell us that most patients don't understand what DVTs are and can't name risk factors for these clots.

At The Johns Hopkins Hospital, we're taking steps to be a leader in preventing venous thromboembolisms (VTEs)—the umbrella term for DVT and PE. Under the leadership of the VTE Collaborative—Elliott Haut, Deborah Hobson, Peggy Kraus, Brandyn Lau and Michael Streiff—we've embedded the electronic provider order-entry system with tools that help assess each patient's risk for VTE and determine the correct order sets for prophylaxis.

This group continues to spearhead quality improvement efforts via a contract from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to build patient-centered interventions aimed at improving patient adherence with VTE prophylaxis. The project title is "Preventing Venous Thromboembolism: Empowering and Enabling Patient-Centered Care via Health Information Technology." More information can be found on the project summary page or in this press release.

Although such improvement efforts have been ongoing for several years, we need your help as hospital caregivers to be successful. We're encouraging your participation now, as March is DVT Awareness Month. However, we hope you'll make DVT elimination an ongoing commitment.

Here are some of the steps you can take:

• Attend the seventh annual VTE Symposium on March 13 in Hurd Hall from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Educate patients, providers and the community about the importance of following recommended practices to prevent DVT, such as wearing sequential compression devices and taking any prescribed anticlotting drugs.

Please join this worthwhile cause.

Sincerely,

Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Ronald R. Peterson
President, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine