Improving Patient Safety and Reducing Cost Through an Innovative Stewardship Program
How Dr. Tony Wan and his team improved blood clot prevention in hospitals while cutting costs by 50% in just six months. Learn about anticoagulation stewardship, evidence-based monitoring, and best practices for safer, more efficient patient care.
Innovation | Innovarium
In health care, finding the balance between providing necessary preventive care and avoiding overtreatment is crucial. Dr. Tony Wan, a thrombosis specialist at Providence Health Care, recently shared insights from his quality improvement project on the "Clot Conversations" podcast, discussing how his team found a more efficient way to prevent blood clots in hospitalized medical patients.
As a member of Thrombosis Canada, Dr. Wan brings extensive expertise to this critical health care challenge. His quality improvement project showed that by creating a stewardship program for blood-thinning medications, known as heparin medications, hospitals can better follow medical guidelines while reducing unnecessary treatments – improving patient safety and reducing costs.
The results were impressive: the program cut preventive blood-thinner medication costs in the medical inpatient units by 50% in just six months, all while keeping patients safe. This success shows how stewardship programs can transform blood clot prevention in hospitals.
Read the article on Science Direct: Anticoagulation stewardship: Improving adherence to clinical guidelines and overuse of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in hospitalized medical patients
Dr. Wan's work is particularly noteworthy given his background in treating blood clots and his role in establishing UBC's Adult Thrombosis Medicine AFC fellowship program, an advanced training program for doctors specializing in this field. By working with researchers across Canada, he's helped develop better ways to prevent dangerous blood clots in patients.
In the podcast, Dr. Wan explains how to implement such a program, sharing valuable insights for health care professionals who want to improve their own hospital practices. Whether you work in health care management, are a physician, or are interested in improving medical care, this episode offers practical strategies for better blood clot prevention while keeping patient safety first.
Tune in to learn how evidence-based monitoring programs can improve the way we prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.
Read more about the Anticoagulation Stewardship on the Daily Scan: Project cuts unnecessary use of preventative blood thinners, benefitting patients, staff and health care budgets