Advocating For Your Health
Advocating for your health: How to reduce your risk of blood clots
Being your own health advocate means taking an active role in your care. It means asking questions, understanding your treatment and speaking up when something doesn’t feel right. When it comes to blood clots, speaking up can save your life.
Why blood clots are a risk in the hospital
Venous thromboembolism, or VTE, is a blood clot that forms in a vein. It usually starts in the leg as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and can travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism (PE), which can be fatal.
Up to 60% of VTE cases occur during or after a hospital stay, making hospital-associated blood clots a leading cause of preventable hospital death. Many of these clots can be prevented when risk is identified early. Learn what increases your risk of blood clots.
Ask for a VTE risk assessment
A VTE risk assessment helps your care team decide whether you need medicine, compression stockings or other steps to prevent a clot. Ideally, every patient is assessed when admitted to the hospital. If no one has talked with you about your blood clot risk, ask a doctor or nurse.
If you’ve been given medicine, stockings or a compression device, make sure you understand how and when to use them, both in the hospital and after you go home.
Questions to ask your care team
- Have I been assessed for blood clot risk?
- What is my risk level and why?
- What are you doing to prevent a blood clot while I’m here?
- Do I need to keep taking blood thinners after I go home, and for how long?
- How should I wear my compression stockings or use my compression device?
- What signs of a blood clot should I watch for after I leave?
- Who should I call if I notice symptoms?
Tips for speaking up with confidence
- Write down your questions before appointments or hospital rounds.
- Keep an up-to-date list of your medications and health history.
- Bring a family member or friend who can listen, take notes and ask questions for you.
- Ask your care team to explain any terms you don’t understand. Our glossary of blood clot terms can help.
- Repeat instructions back in your own words to confirm you understand them.
