Compliance with current VTE prophylaxis guidelines and associated factors among admitted medical inpatients in Mehal Meda General Hospital, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains highly prevalent among medically ill patients and often leads to increased mortality. Therefore, this study aimed to assess compliance with VTE prophylaxis guidelines and associated factors among admitted medical inpatients at Mehal Meda General Hospital, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia, in 2024. DESIGN: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were collected via medical chart review and interview-administered questionnaires, entered into EPI Data V.4.6, and exported to SPSS V.26 for analysis. Data were presented using frequency tables and graphs. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with compliance with VTE prophylaxis. Variables from the bivariable logistic regression analysis with a value of p<0.3 were included in the multivariable logistic regression model. A value of p<0.05 and an adjusted OR (AOR) with a 95% CI were used to identify factors associated with compliance with VTE prophylaxis. Model fitness was assessed using the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. SETTING: The study was conducted at Mehal Meda General Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted among 365 admitted medical inpatients. The study participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. RESULTS: The overall proportion of compliance with VTE prophylaxis guidelines among admitted medical inpatients was 24.2% (95% CI 19.9% to 28.8%). In this study, being a patient with heart failure (AOR = 6.8, 95% CI 3.7 to 12.54) and being a patient with diabetes (AOR = 3.98, 95% CI 2.2 to 7.2) were positively associated with compliance with VTE prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: The overall proportion of compliance with VTE prophylaxis guidelines among admitted medical inpatients was low compared with previous studies. Heart failure and diabetes were positively associated with compliance with VTE prophylaxis guidelines. Therefore, greater attention should be given to both, patients with diabetes and patients with heart failure.