Preventing DVT and PE in hospitalized patients: improving a successful electronic alert

At Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in Boston, MA, we recently concluded a four year randomized, controlled study of the effect of electronic alerts on physician behavior in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). We found that the use of an electronic alert reduced the risk of DVT or PE at 90 days by 41%. Upon review of the instances where the recommended prophylaxis was not accepted, we designed enhancements to the alert.