What’s New in the
Patient Safety World
January 2019
New VTE Guidelines
ASH (American Society of Hematologists) has developed evidence-based “Clinical Practice Guidelines on Venous Thromboembolism” (ASH 2018).
Guidelines currently
available include:
· Prophylaxis for Medical Patients
· Diagnosis
· Anticoagulation Therapy
· Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT)
· Pregnancy
· Pediatrics
But the guidelines
for VTE in cancer, thrombophilia, and prophylaxis for surgical patients are not
yet included but are “coming soon!”. And the guidelines for treatment are “now
accepting public comments”.
The guidelines include strength of recommendations, based upon the strength of supporting evidence. The guidelines have over 200 recommendations in all. For example, there are 19 recommendations on prophylaxis for medical patients. These include recommendations for hospitalized patients, hon-hospitalized patients, nursing home patients, and patients travelling long distances. They discuss issues such as pharmacologic vs. mechanical prophylaxis and LMWH vs. DOAC’s.
The ASH site also has downloadable posters, pocket guides, teaching slide sets, and patient versions of the guidelines. The guidelines are also available on an app that you can download for iOS or Android devices.
Of course, no one is expected to be able to remember over 200 recommendations. We think you’ll find the pocket cards or the smartphone apps to be very valuable. Undoubtedly, these will also be updated as the “coming soon!” items become available.
References:
ASH (American Society of Hematologists). ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines on Venous Thromboembolism. ASH 2018
http://www.hematology.org/VTE/
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