• deep venousthrombosis
• DVT
• NHS
• pathway
• Royal Surrey

This thesis has been elaborated and written during an abroad rotation in Emergency Medicine at Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford (UK). This work aims to describe the local pathway for diagnosing deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the Emergency Department and assess this pathway's adherence before and after completing an educational cycle.
Atraumatic leg and foot pain represent 1.8% of all present complaints attending the Emergency Department, and most of these patients are usually investigated for DVT. Only a minimal number of patients presenting with complaints compatible with DVT are ultimately diagnosed with DVT (between 0,1-0,4% off all visits). On the other hand, missing a diagnosis of DVT may have severe consequences.
Putting in plan a local pathway to improve the quality of care and reduce useless investigations is crucial for achieving patient safety without compromising the ED flow.