Assessment of the public's knowledge of venous thromboembolism

•Although preventable, venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.•Less than 70% of the general public is familiar with VTE.•Health care professionals demonstrate high levels of knowledge about VTE.•If nurses understand the lack of knowledge, they can better educate their patients.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major public health problem impacting 600,000 people and causing 100,000 deaths annually. Nurses are in a unique position in all health care settings to educate patients and the public to prevent and provide early detection for this devastating complication. A dearth of information exists regarding the knowledge level of those affected. This manuscript presents a study that investigates and quantifies the general public's knowledge level of VTE through a 13-question survey of 325 participants. The results indicate that >70% of the general, nonmedical participants involved in the survey were not familiar with VTE. The findings suggest the need for nurses to consistently and systematically educate patients and the public about VTE to decrease morbidity and mortality.