Quality standard
This quality standard covers reducing the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in people aged 16 and over who are in hospital. It also covers diagnosing and treating VTE in all people aged 18 and over. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
This quality standard updates and replaces the quality standards on venous thromboembolism in adults: reducing the risk in hospital (published June 2010), and venous thromboembolism in adults: diagnosis and management (published March 2013). The topic was identified for update following a routine review of published quality standards. See update information for further details.
NICE’s guideline on managing COVID-19 includes recommendations on VTE prophylaxis for people in hospital with COVID-19, which are relevant to statement 1 in this quality standard.
How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them
Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them.