Patient safety

How to prevent blood clots in the hospital

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

Nursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism are common and preventable in hospital patients. Prevention depends on the patient's clot and bleeding risk.

Step by step

  1. Assess risk

    Check clot risk and bleeding risk on admission with a standard tool. [1]

  2. Give anticoagulants as ordered

    Low-dose enoxaparin or heparin is common. Check platelets and kidney function. [2]

  3. Use mechanical devices

    Sequential compression devices help when bleeding risk is high. Keep them on and working. [3]

  4. Get the patient moving

    Walk early and often when safe. Teach ankle pumps in bed. [4]

  5. Keep fluids up

    Encourage fluids unless restricted. Dehydration raises clot risk. [4]

  6. Watch for signs

    Report leg swelling, pain or warmth, and sudden shortness of breath or chest pain. [4]

  7. Teach the patient

    Explain why prevention matters and what symptoms to report. [5]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

VMS cases that train this skill

Sources

  1. The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals
  2. Open RN, Nursing Pharmacology 2e (CC BY 4.0)
  3. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
  4. Open RN, Nursing Fundamentals 2e (CC BY 4.0)
  5. AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back)

Facts and steps follow The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.