Hospital patients ‘to be assessed for blood clot risk’

The government has announced that hospital patients on the NHS are to be assessed for the risk of venous thromboembolism, or blood clots.

Risk assessment will be provided to hospitals together with guidance on how to identify those patients most likely to contract this condition.

It has been developed by the government in conjunction with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and other key stakeholders.

Supporting guidelines from NICE are to be published in autumn 2009.

The Department of Health noted around 25,000 deaths are caused by blood clots in England every year.

Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer, said: “The dangers of venous thromboembolism in hospitalised patients have long been recognised, but our challenge was to find a systematic approach to identify patients most at risk.”

He added the establishment of a standardised national preventive strategy on a scale of this kind is a world first, making the risk of reducing death from this condition a more attainable goal.

In February 2008, the government announced that NICE would produce guidance on new drugs in oncology and a treatment for venous thromboembolism, as well as substance misuse and alcohol use disorders.