Implementation of an electronic medical record tool for early detection of deep vein thrombosis in the ambulatory oncology setting.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization in cancer patients.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of an electronic alert to identify and screen at-risk individuals and gather rates of early detection of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Patients/methods: An alert was built into the electronic medical record based on a validated risk tool (Khorana Score [KS]) and outcomes evaluated in an initial silent phase. The alert functioned in real time to warn physicians of high-risk patients (KS ≥ 3) and suggested lower extremity screening ultrasonography in a subsequent active phase.

Results: Of 194 consecutive patients identified as high risk in the silent phase, 14 (7.2%) developed subsequent DVT or pulmonary embolism (PE) over 90-day follow-up, with a median of 27 days. Mean 90-day emergency room (ER) visits, all-cause admissions, and length of stay (days) for patients with DVT were 1.2, 1.6, and 9.1 compared to 0.89, 0.93, and 5.1 for all patients, respectively. In the active phase, 197 consecutive alerts met inclusion criteria, and 40 patients (20.3%) received a screening ultrasound. Five (12.5%) had a DVT and were started on therapeutic anticoagulation. Of patients with alerts who had screening deferred, 13 (8.3%) were later diagnosed with DVT (median 50.5 days) and 7 (4.5%) with PE.

Conclusion: An automated alert may have value in early detection of DVT in high-risk cancer patients leading to earlier intervention, and could potentially prevent VTE-related morbidity.