CDC launches health care-associated blood clot prevention challenge

The CDC has issued a challenge to health care providers aimed at preventing health care-associated blood clots, according to a press release.

The agency is looking to identify and recognize health care systems that have "implemented innovative and effective prevention strategies or interventions."

As detailed in the release, venous thromboembolism affect up to 900,000 Americans and lead to about 100,000 premature deaths annually. The CDC reported that approximately half of all blood clots occur after a hospital stay or surgery.

An estimated 70% of health care-associated venous thromboembolisms can be prevented, according to the CDC, but less than half of patients receive prevention tools from evidence-based guidelines, such as necessary information, anticoagulants or compression devices.

Tom Frieden

“Doctors and nurses in hospitals and other health care settings can save lives by implementing the best practices discovered through this challenge,” Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, CDC director, said in the release. “Tell us about what you are doing and what’s helping prevent blood clots, so we can advance science and save lives together.”

The CDC is specifically looking for evidence of successful prevention strategies including "implementation of protocols, risk assessments, use of health information technology, clinical decision support tools, education of providers, patients and families or postdischarge follow-up."

Submissions will be accepted from Nov. 2, 2015 until Jan. 10, 2016 and will be judged by a panel including CDC and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Winners will be announced in March 2016. Visit Challenge.gov for more information.