News: Current thromboembolism risk assessment models inadequate, report shows

The accuracy and prognostic performance of some risk assessment models (RAM) is “limited” in predicting venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests.

The study examined four types of RAMs—i.e., simplified/original Geneva score, the Padua score, and IMPROVE (International Medical Prevention Registry on Venous Thromboembolism)—to determine how they fared in evaluating the risk of VTE, JustCoding reported.

The study looked at information from 1,352 patients admitted to three Swiss tertiary care hospitals between June 18, 2020, and January 4, 2022, with a 90-day follow-up.

The researchers concluded that the “limited” accuracy and predictive capabilities of all four RAMs could lead to misidentification or overtreatment of inpatients with a risk of VTE.

“Even though guidelines, including those from the American College of Chest Physicians or the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, encourage the use of RAMs to identify medical inpatients at high VTE risk, our results emphasize the need for more accurate risk prediction strategies,” the study concludes.

Editor’s note: To read the JustCoding coverage of the JAMA study, click here. To read the JAMA study, click here.