Date of Conferral

2-17-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Jill Sanko

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, can lead to disability, loss of limbs, or even death. VTEs are preventable and can affect anyone at any age, race, or gender. In the United States, it is estimated each year that as many as 900,000 people are affected by VTEs. Risk factors for developing blood clots are immobilization, surgeries, pregnancy, obesity, history of blood clots, and trauma. Hospital-acquired VTE is a patient safety indicator, and mechanical prophylaxis should always be used to lessen the risk unless contraindicated. Sequential compression devices (SCDs), a preferred method of VTE prophylaxis, are sleeves placed on the patient’s legs, which compress intermittently to mechanically assist in moving blood through the legs to keep the blood from pooling and causing stasis. At the project site, a needs assessment found that while orders are placed for SCDs, there has been incomplete carrying out of the orders, resulting in poor application of SCDs on patients during hospitalization; to correct this gap in practice, a staff education program was conducted. The project question was as follows: What is the impact of an SCD educational program on staff SCD knowledge as measured by a pre-and post-knowledge test? Findings from this project showed an improvement in understanding of the topic. There was a 3.2 point improvement in scores from preassessment to post assessment. The project’s findings support the importance of educating the staff to bring about change in the unit. This project was able to shift knowledge, which should ultimately improve care resulting in lower cost and better care outcomes and quality of life for every patient regardless of VTE risk factors.

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