Dr. Lindsey, a member of Team Hospitalist, cautions that e-measures have the potential to increase unwanted events by overutilization of pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis and associated hemorrhagic events.
“We have to continue to make sure that our practice of medicine remains based in evidence and not succumb to the pull of getting a check-box ticked,” she warns.
VTE remains a significant problem in hospitalized patients today. Hospitalists should consider the pros and cons of using newer treatment methods over traditional agents. Efforts are under way to improve VTE prophylaxis by standardizing best practice and moving from traditional chart abstracting to using e-measures for performance reporting.
Karen Appold is a freelance medical writer in Pennsylvania.
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