GVMH ICU NURSES DESIGNED SOCKS FOR DVT AWARENESS MONTH

(L to R) Kim Bybee, Unit Secretary; Lindsay Martin R.N.; Courtney Golder R.N.; Connie Williams R.N., Co-Director of ICU; Amy Kennish, Unit Secretary.

Golden Valley Memorial Hospital participated in the Coalition to Prevent DVT’s fifth annual National DVT Awareness Month. This year’s program, DVT Awareness by Design, included a nationwide sock-design challenge to engage the public and boost awareness of this serious and potentially life-threatening condition.

Each year up to two million people in the United States suffer from Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and approximately 600,000 Americans are hospitalized for DVT and its primary complication, pulmonary embolism (PE). DVT- related PE is the most common cause of preventable hospital death. Certain individuals may be at increased risk for developing DVT, but it can occur in almost anyone.

As part of this year’s DVT Awareness by Design program, professionals at GVMH helped the community understand more about DVT risks, signs and symptoms as they designed, personalized and showcased socks that demonstrated what DVT means to them.

The DVT Awareness by Design campaign also included a recently launched public service announcement featuring the Coalition to Prevent DVT’s national patient spokesperson, Melanie Bloom, as well as Web and interactive components accessible at the Coalition’s Web site www.preventdvt.org. In addition, the campaign features an alliance with Parsons The New School for Design, one of the world’s leading centers for design education, where students will use uploaded photos of DVT Awareness by Design socks as inspiration to create new legwear designs, from which one will be chosen to serve as the new DVT Awareness icon.

“People need to know more about the signs and symptoms associated with DVT, and we’re proud to be a part of a grassroots initiative that does that in a fun and creative way,” said Connie Williams, R.N. “DVT is serious, but we want people to know that the risks can be reduced if they are aware of the signs and communicate their concerns to their healthcare provider. By taking part in DVT Awareness by Design, we will help get that message across to everyone in our community.”

DVT occurs when a thrombus or blood clot forms in one of the large veins, usually in the lower limbs, leading to either partially or completely blocked circulation. A DVT blood clot has the potential to move into the lungs and block circulation to this vital organ, creating a life threatening condition – PE, that requires immediate medical attention.

“Since DVT Awareness Month began five years ago, we’ve raised the public’s understanding of the condition and its complications,” Bloom said. “We’ve made strides in communicating that DVT can and does happen to people in all walks of life, at all ages. Working together, we can bring attention to the prevailing need for reducing risks and treating DVT.”

The ICU has been instrumental in advancing DVT awareness at GVMH by introducing a new screening form and order set.  The medical staff has approved them and screening will be carried out on all patients admitted to GVMH.  The goal is that all patients with risk factors for DVT will be placed on preventative therapy.

For more information about DVT Awareness by Design, visit the Coalition’s Web site www.preventdvt.org.