Assessment of knowledge and practice of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis after cesarean section among gynecologists and obstetricians in Al-Najaf hospitals

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates after cesarean sections. VTE is likely four-time greater following cesarean section than normal vaginal delivery. Despite a large number of published studies and the availability of well-evidenced guideline recommendations for VTE prevention, it is evident that these guidelines are poorly implemented with suboptimal use of a prophylactic thrombotic agent. The objective of our study was to assess the knowledge and practice of gynecologists and obstetricians about guidelines of VTE prophylaxis after cesarean section. An observational study included 57 gynecologists and obstetricians from all hospitals in Al-Najaf province. The study used a validated questionnaire consisting of 40 items where the correct response scored 1, giving an overall total score of 40. The total overall knowledge and practice score was calculated for participants, and the knowledge and practice levels were evaluated. Only 57 participants out of 67 completed the study giving a response rate of 85%. The mean overall score of practice and adherence was 0.51±0.09. This study showed inadequate practice towards VTE and poor adherence to prophylaxis guidelines because of many barriers, mainly the cost, poor patient adherence, and inconvenience to use guidelines in our patients.