A Study to Assess the Knowledge and Practice Regarding Prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis among Bedridden Patients in a Selected Hospital, Mangalore

Abstract

Introduction: The vascular system is a vast network of vessels through which blood circulates in the body.
Blood leaving the ventricles is distributed through arteries and arterioles in progressively smaller branches
to the capillaries Deep vein thrombosis is a medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep
vein. A world wide survey conducted by CDC shows that 900,000 people could be affected by DVT (1 to 2
per 1,000) each year in the United States. Among people who have had a DVT, one-half will have long-term
complications. DVT is a serious condition that can be life-threatening. However, it’s largely preventable and
treatable. Aim: To assess the knowledge and practice regarding prevention of deep vein thrombosis among
bedridden patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among the bedridden
patients of Yenepoya Medical College Hospital, Mangalore. The content validity of the tool was established
in consultation with 7 experts. The reliability of the tools were found to be r (6) = 0.8 and 0.7 which was
statistically significant. The tools were found to be reliable. Non probability convenience sampling was used
to select the subjects for the study. Pilot study was conducted to find out the feasibility of the study. Data
collected from the 95 subjects were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS (Version
23). Results: The findings of the study demonstrated that among 95 bedridden patients, that maximum
percentage (61%)were belonged to the age group of 47 years and above. Majority (72%) were males.
(41%) of were completed primary education. Majority (62%) of the respondents were physically active
workers.58% of subjects had inadequate knowledge and 42% of subjects had moderate knowledge and none
of the subjects had adequate knowledge on prevention of deep vein thrombosis and 22% of subjects had low
practice, whereas majority 66% of respondents had moderate practice level and 12% of subjects had high
practice level. Mean knowledge score was 11.14 and mean practice score was 9.85. There existed a positive
relationship between knowledge and practice (correlation coefficient =0.662*) at 0.05 level of significance.
The study also indicated that chi-square value of demographic variables have no significant association with
knowledge scores and practice scores of bedridden patients.