Definition and Risk Factors of VTE
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a term used to define two medical illnesses. The first illness is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs when a thrombus or clot of blood develops in a deep vein to stop blood flow. The other is pulmonary embolism (PE), which happens when the clot spreads and plugs the lungs.
Immobility, prolonged hospitalization, surgery, and advanced age increase the risk of acquiring VTE. Patients who refuse inclusive VTE prophylaxis are at higher risk of VTE. Several nurse-related drivers ensure patient compliance with VTE prophylaxis and reduce refusal rates.
Barriers to VTE Prophylaxis Compliance
The ordering and dispensing process of VTE prophylaxis enables the detection of patient refusal. The three core factors influencing patient refusal are environmental resources and context, skill, and knowledge (Johnson & Sollecito, 2020). The absence of patient education on VTE prophylaxis is one of the primary environmental resources and context barriers identified (Skeik & Westergard, 2020). Nurses lacked the resources to enhance their explanation to patients regarding the importance of prophylaxis (Sauro et al., 2019). Nurses also feel that the lack of skills to handle these situations leaves them unequipped to manage patient refusal.
Nursing Interventions to Improve Compliance
There are several interventions that nurses can use to overcome these barriers. First, nurses must revise their educational module and patient education materials to understand and anticipate the risk of refusing treatment (Sauro et al., 2019). Secondly, nurses can be well-equipped to counsel patients who refuse through simulation exercises (Skeik & Westergard, 2020).
Thirdly, suppose nurses consistently provide prophylaxis to patients and ensure that it is initiated and documented promptly. In that case, patients are more likely to feel that their care is a priority to the nursing staff, which may help decrease instances of patient refusal (Skeik & Westergard, 2020). Lastly, nurses can enhance patient compliance by educating patients on the rationale behind VTE prophylaxis and tailoring their approach based on their individual risk score for VTE (Sauro et al., 2019). Nurses can ensure they protect clients from preventable adverse events when staying in medical facilities through a holistic care model.
Empowering Nurses to Transform Patient Care
The outcome of this paper is to empower nurses to collaborate as core participants of the multidisciplinary team to minimize intolerable VTE incidences in the community. Nurses are essential in reducing patient refusal of VTE prophylaxis only if they are well-informed and educated to transform hospital culture. When their knowledge levels are increased, they can evaluate the risk of VTE and improve their provision of patient care even when medical practitioners are absent.
References
Johnson, J. K., &. Sollecito, W. A. (2020). Mclaughlin and kaluzny’s continuous quality improvement in health care. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sauro, K. M., Brundin-Mather, R., Leigh, J. P., Niven, D. J., Kushner, B., Soo, A., & Stelfox, H. T. (2019). Improving the adoption of optimal venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in critically ill patients: A process evaluation of a complex quality improvement initiative. Journal of Critical Care, 50, 111-117. Web.
Skeik, N., & Westergard, E. (2020). Recommendations for VTE prophylaxis in medically ill patients. Annals and Vascular Diseases, 13(1), 38-44. Web.