AwarenessCampaigns

March is DVT Awareness Month

Making the Most of a National Campaign

National Campaign Targets the Public, Providers, and Policy Makers

Local campaign success relies on the strength of local efforts - so the Coalition and SHM made it easy to champion and leverage DVT Awareness Month in your organization.

Let the SHM know how you made use of any of the several "Steps to Action" below to raise awareness in your institution. Are you planning a quality improvement effort to reduce rates of hospital acquired venous thromboembolism? Share your experience by submitting a brief profile of your efforts to: vter@hospitalmedicine.org.

Hospitalist Steps to Action

How to plan for this year's DVT Awareness Month:

1. Scroll down to the 'TurnKey Materials' section of this webpage to download the needed materials. To access the materials directly from the Coalition to Prevent DVT's website log on to their Members Only area (Username: coalition Password: preventdvt).
2. Contact your hospital media relations department and send them the DVT Awareness Month Press Release for distribution.
3. Contact your hospital volunteer coordinator, and send them the External Newsletter Article (Community/Consumers) and Resource Fact Sheet.Ask them to set up a table during the month of March to distribute copies of these two materials as well as the DVT Awareness Ribbons (pins).
4. Send the Internal Newsletter Article (Professional/Medical Staff) to the administrative leaders of all disciplines (nurses, therapists, pharmacists, residents, students, dieticians, etc.) in your hospital and provide them with DVT Awareness Ribbons (pins).
5. Send the Internal Newsletter Article (Professional/Medical Staff), Disease Backgrounder, and the DVT Awareness Ribbons (pins) to your vascular lab or radiology department and encourage ribbon distribution to new DVT patients and their families.
6. Contact your hospital Quality Office, officer, or committee and send them the Coalition Mission Statement and Internal Newsletter Article (Professional/Medical Staff). Ask for their support in setting up tables, banners, and other DVT Awareness Month materials. Free materials at www.preventdvt.org (Username: coalition Password: preventdvt) also allow you to consider the following:

• Set up a video monitor to run a loop recording of the Television Public Service Announcement (PSA) featuring DVT Awareness Month spokesperson Melanie Bloom
• Set up banners and other signage in your hospital lobby or cafeteria
• Use the DVT awareness audio message as the “hold” recording for your institution
• Give in-services to various disciplines in your hospital about DVT using the DVT risk assessment tool and DVT Presentation slide set
• Set up a DVT prophylaxis protocol through your quality committee and look for SHM's VTE Resource Room to help guide your continuous quality improvement efforts.
• Give Grand Rounds on DVT or invite speakers to present standards of care in DVT prevention

Turnkey Kit Materials

The materials below are templates that will help assist you in communicating the importance of DVT education and prevention to your local community, constituents and the media. We recommend using these materials on your Web site, in newsletters and other communications vehicles you may have available internally to announce your participation in the third-annual DVT Awareness Month.

Key Messages (Acrobat, 26.2 KB)
The key messages have been developed as a means to generate a consistent flow of information by all organizations involved in the campaign.


Letter to Constituents (Word, 63.5 KB)
This document has been developed as a template for your constituents to announce your involvement in the Coalition and provides an overview of DVT Awareness Month. It also has an area for you to insert activities being conducted locally by your organization. Lastly, it provides ways in which practicing physicians and healthcare professionals can make a difference in preventing DVT.


DVT Awareness Month Press Release (Word 66 KB)
The press release announces the launch of DVT Awareness Month 2006, highlights your organizations' support and provides background on DVT. The release can be distributed to media, patients and colleagues/healthcare professionals to provide them with additional information on DVT and the Coalition.


Coalition Mission Statement (Acrobat, 13.7 KB)
This document contains the complete mission statement of the Coalition and can be distributed to media, consumers, patients and colleagues/healthcare professionals.


Disease Backgrounder (Acrobat 37.4 KB)
The disease backgrounder provides information regarding DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE), including risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and preventive measures. This backgrounder can be used to educate media, consumers, patients and colleagues/healthcare professionals about DVT.


External Newsletter Article - Community/Consumers (Word, 62.5 KB)
This article is provided for direct placement into your organization's community/consumer-focused newsletter, bulletin or magazine. It announces your organization's participation in the campaign and provides information on DVT and includes information on the Coalition.


Internal Newsletter Article - Professional/Medical Staff (62 KB)
This article is provided for direct placement into communications vehicles that are distributed internally within your organization. The newsletter announces the campaign, the need for DVT awareness, information on new/updated treatment guidelines and information on the Coalition.


How to Use the Materials (Acrobat, 27.5 KB)
Contains a full list and description of all the resources available at the Coalition to Prevent DVT website.


The above Turnkey Kit Materials were developed by the Coalition to Prevent DVT. For more information regarding these materials read the Executive Summary. To access the materials directly from the Coalition's website log on to the Members Only area (Username: coalition Password: preventdvt).