Improving Compliance with a Nurse-Driven Protocol for Unfractionated Heparin Infusions in Patients with Venous Thromboembolism

ABSTRACT Background: Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is a high-risk medication that can cause bleeding and/or thrombotic complications if not managed appropriately. Between January and July 2019, our institution experienced a high number of patient safety events related to UFH infusion for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Purpose: The aim of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to prevent these safety events by improving compliance with our institution's nurse-driven VTE UFH infusion protocol. Methods: Baseline data for patients on the VTE UFH protocol were collected to identify improvement opportunities. Compliance with eight standards of care related to the VTE UFH infusion protocol was measured. Time to first therapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was recorded to assess the benefit of improved compliance. Interventions: Institutional policy updates were made to clarify the management of UFH infusions and documentation in the electronic health record. A multidisciplinary workgroup implemented order set changes, nursing communication orders, UFH infusion reports, and a nursing education module to promote compliance with the protocol. Results: The overall rate of compliance with the VTE UFH infusion protocol increased from 79.4% at baseline to 85.2% following implementation of the QI initiative, and the median time to first therapeutic aPTT decreased from 831.5 minutes to 808 minutes over the same period. Conclusions: A multidisciplinary initiative to address improvement opportunities in a nurse-driven UFH protocol for VTE treatment increased compliance with the protocol and decreased the time to first therapeutic aPTT.