Clinical Pharmacist Intervention Improves Adherence to Venous Thromboembolism Protocols

PURPOSE: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a preventable condition associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Pharmacological and/or mechanical prophylaxis can prevent thromboembolism events. Guidelines recommend the use of scores for risk assessment in hospitalized patients. These scores are based on a variety of risk factors, including age, reduced mobility, and type of surgery. They help determine the most appropriate prophylaxis method for each patient. However, VTE prophylaxis is still a challenge, and there are limitations associated with it. In this scenario, clinical pharmacists may play a key role in improving VTE prophylaxis. The main aim of this real-life study was to evaluate the contribution of the clinical pharmacist to thromboembolism prophylaxis in a large sample of clinical and surgical patients. METHODS: This is an observational and retrospective study using hospital-based data. The study included 4031 patients, and we evaluated how pharmacist interventions contributed to the appropriate indication and correct use of VTE prophylaxis in clinical and surgical patients. We included 1093 clinical patients and 2938 surgical patients. RESULTS: Following clinical pharmacist involvement (262 pharmacist interventions), there were improvements in the adequacy rate: 62.0% for clinical patients and 55.0% for surgical patients. CONCLUSION: The intervention of the clinical pharmacist can contribute to improved rates of adherence to VTE protocols. Currently, venous thromboembolism is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Pharmacological and/or mechanical prophylaxis can prevent thromboembolism events, although it is still a challenge. In this study, we evaluated the role of the clinical pharmacist in the prophylaxis of thromboembolism events in a hospital environment. Our main finding was that the involvement of clinical pharmacists led to improved prophylaxis adequacy, highlighting the importance of their active participation.