Patient Evaluation of Outpatient Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Service following Lower Limb Injuries Using a Developed Validated Questionnaire

Abstract

This paper explores patients' perceptions of a new service and protocol for managing outpatient venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis, using either subcutaneous Dalteparin or oral off-license Dabigatran in patients with lower limb injury requiring immobilisation. Establishing a patient's perspective is part of good practice as, when this is positive, it aids patient compliance and protocol dissemination. A questionnaire consisting of fifty questions was given at random to one hundred patients over a six month period when they attended the trauma clinic. Each question was scored on a five point Likert scale (1=poor, 5=excellent) by the patient. The internal consistency of the questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient) was more than 0.9 in all domains. Qualitative analysis was done for open-ended questions. One hundred respondents completed the questionnaire, two were void due to significant amounts of incomplete data. The gender split was 54 females, 43 males, and one did not answer the question. The average age was 43 (range 18–72). Sixty seven respondents were first-time attenders, 22 were follow-up patients and nine did not complete this section. The overall average score was 4.26 (range 1–5), with 90% of the patients recommending the service. The overall patient satisfaction for a VTE prophylaxis service is high although there is room for improvement as demonstrated by the range of the scores.