Factors Influencing Obstetric Nurses' Knowledge of Venous Thromboembolism Prevention: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Summary

This study assessed obstetric nurses’ knowledge of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention in China and analyzed associated influencing factors. Using a multicenter cross-sectional design, it identified knowledge gaps and key determinants, providing evidence to support targeted training and improved preventive strategies in obstetric care settings.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess obstetric nurses' knowledge of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention in China and to analyze influencing factors, with the goal of enhancing prevention efforts during pregnancy and the postpartum period. A total of 598 obstetric nurses from 154 hospitals across 29 provinces and cities participated in this study in August 2023. A self-designed questionnaire was employed to evaluate their knowledge of VTE and relevant factors. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the factors influencing obstetric nurses’ VTE knowledge. The average correct rate of obstetric nurses' VTE knowledge was 69.8%. Correct rates for mechanical and pharmacological prevention were 54.6% and 57.3%, respectively. A higher correct rate was observed among nursing managers and nurses who had received specific VTE-related training. The level of VTE prevention knowledge among obstetric nurses in China is suboptimal, with notable gaps identified in mechanical and pharmacological prevention strategies. Future initiatives should prioritize targeted, standardized training programs tailored to nurses' knowledge gaps, particularly in mechanical and pharmacological VTE prevention strategies.

Introduction

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), is a common complication among hospitalized patients and a significant cause of unexpected in-hospital deaths¹. Pregnant women face a four to five times higher risk of developing thromboembolic disease compared to non-pregnant women². Annually, approximately 78,000 pregnant women worldwide succumb to VTE during pregnancy and the postpartum period, making it the second leading cause of maternal mortality in developed countries³. Fortunately, VTE can be effectively prevented through appropriate pr....

Protocol

The Medical Ethics Committee of the People's Hospital, Peking University, approved this study protocol before the survey was formed (approval number: 2024PHB018-001). Participation in this study was voluntary and anonymous.

Design and setting
This multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st to 31st August 2023 among obstetric nurses across Mainland China. In total, obstetric nurses from 154 hospitals spanning 29 provinces and cities participated in this study.

Participants
The sample size was calculated using an online tool (https://www.calculator.io....

Results

Participants’ general information
Out of the 598 nurses surveyed, 396 (66.2%) were from general hospitals. Among them, 528 held a bachelor's degree or higher, 346 held the title of Supervisor Nurse or higher, with an average of 11.50 ± 7.411 years of experience in obstetric nursing, and an average age of 34.47 ± 7.157 years. There were also 61 nursing managers. The extent of VTE training among obstetric nurses is detailed in Table 1. Specifically, 90.8% of participants received train.......

Discussion

This study investigated obstetric nurses’ knowledge of VTE prevention and examined the factors associated with it. Pregnant women face a 4 to 5 times higher risk of developing thromboembolic disease compared to non-pregnant women². However, to our knowledge, few studies have examined obstetric nurses' knowledge of VTE prevention.

The results showed that obstetric nurses have a relatively higher score (69.8%) of VTE prevention knowledge than a previous national.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 27.0)	IBM Corp., USA	https://www.ibm.com/spss	Used for statistical data analysis
Online Sample Size Calculator	Calculator.io	https://www.calculator.io/sample-size-calculator/	Used for sample size estimation
Sojump Online Survey Platform	Sojump (Wenjuanxing), China	https://www.wjx.cn/	Used for questionnaire distribution and data collection
WeChat Application	Tencent, China	https://www.wechat.com/	Used to distribute survey links to participants
Personal Digital Devices (smartphones/computers)	Various manufacturers	N/A	Used by participants to complete the questionnaire