Preventing venous thromboembolism through risk assessment approaches.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Recent guidelines from the Department of Health and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommend mandatory, universal VTE risk assessment for hospitalized patients and the provision of appropriate prevention measures (thromboprophylaxis). Careful selection of a suitable VTE risk assessment approach is required to improve the chance of its successful implementation in hospital.