Impact of a student-supported pharmacy assessment program on venous thromboembolism prophylaxis rates in hospitalized patients

Objectives. To determine if the addition of a student-supported venous thromboembolism risk assessment strategy could improve rates of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis at a community teaching hospital. Methods. After receiving education and training on venous thromboembolism risk assessment, students assessed patients and recommended therapy in a 493-bed community teaching hospital over 5 weeks. Both the quantity and quality of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis were measured and compared to a baseline rate. Results. One hundred three recommendations were made to physicians with a 41% acceptance rate. Compared to previous rates, the percentages of patients receiving "any, " "suitable, " and "optimal" venous thromboembolism prophylaxis increased from 70.5% to 82.7% (p = 0.0005), 64.4% to 75.9% (p = 0.0022), and 56.3% to 68.5% (p = 0.0022), respectively. Conclusions. A student-supported venous thromboembolism risk assessment strategy resulted in an increase in venous thromboembolism prophylaxis rates and could be used as a model for other institutions to integrate students into population-based care.