A short patient questionnaire (7VTE-Quest) used to guide education during consultation showed improved knowledge scores for 56.5% of patients at second completion, but failed to assess its impact on clinical outcomes.
Key Findings
Results
The majority of patients showed improved questionnaire scores at second completion following the education-guided consultation strategy.
135 patients completed the 7VTE-Quest a second time after a mean (±SD) of 211 (±169) days after initial completion
After excluding 4 patients who achieved a perfect score both times, 56.5% (74/131) of patients showed improved scores
The change in total score ranged from -3 to +4 points
Patients were required to need anticoagulant therapy for ≥3 months and to have completed the questionnaire at 2 different consultations between March 2022 and December 2024
Primary endpoint was defined as an improved score of ≥1 point at second completion
Results
The greatest knowledge gains were observed for questions on management of forgotten medication doses and NSAID interactions with anticoagulants.
20.0% (27/135) of patients gained correct answers on the question about management of a forgotten medication dose
11.1% (15/135) of patients gained correct answers on the question about interaction between anticoagulants and NSAIDs
These two topics represented the largest overall gains across all seven questionnaire items
Results
A regression in correct answers was observed for all questionnaire questions between the first and second completion.
Regression in the number of patients providing correct answers was observed for all questions, ranging from 1.6% to 40%
The greatest regression was observed for the NSAID contraindication question
40.0% (14/35) of patients who correctly recalled the NSAID contraindication at first completion could no longer recall it at second completion
29.0% (29/100) of patients who could not initially recall the NSAID contraindication did so correctly at second completion
Methods
The 7VTE-Quest was designed as a short, waiting-room-completed questionnaire intended to guide personalized patient education during clinical consultation.
The questionnaire consists of 7 items (7VTE-Quest) targeting key knowledge areas related to VTE disease and anticoagulant treatment
Patients completed the questionnaire in the waiting room prior to consultation
Results were used to guide patient education during the consultation itself
The study period ran from March 2022 to December 2024
Background
The study was motivated by the association between insufficient patient knowledge, poor adherence, and risks of major bleeding or recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy.
Anticoagulation treatment of VTE carries potential risks including major bleeding and recurrent VTE
Poor adherence is identified as a contributing factor to these risks
Insufficient patient knowledge is identified as associated with poor adherence
The study aimed to investigate patient knowledge over time and evaluate the effectiveness of the patient education strategy employed in the clinic
Conclusions
The study acknowledged a key limitation in that the education strategy's impact on clinical outcomes was not assessed.
Authors stated the strategy "failed to assess its impact on clinical outcomes"
The study measured knowledge scores as a proxy outcome rather than clinical endpoints such as bleeding events or recurrent VTE
This limitation was noted in the abstract conclusions
What This Means
This research describes the development and testing of a short 7-question quiz (called the 7VTE-Quest) designed to measure how well patients understand their blood clot (venous thromboembolism, or VTE) diagnosis and blood-thinning medication. Patients filled out the quiz in the waiting room before their appointment, and doctors used the results to focus their education on the topics patients answered incorrectly. The study followed 135 patients who completed the quiz on two separate occasions, on average about 7 months apart. Results showed that just over half of patients (56.5%) improved their knowledge scores at the second visit, with the biggest gains in understanding what to do if they forgot a dose and knowing that common pain relievers called NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) can dangerously interact with their blood thinners.
However, the study also found a concerning pattern: for every single question on the quiz, some patients who answered correctly the first time gave wrong answers the second time. The most striking example was the NSAID interaction question — 40% of patients who knew about this danger at the first visit had forgotten it by the second visit. This suggests that patient knowledge is not stable over time and that repeated education and reinforcement are likely needed, particularly for high-risk topics like drug interactions.
This research suggests that using a brief, targeted quiz to guide doctor-patient conversations about VTE and blood thinners can help improve patient knowledge, but that one-time education is not sufficient for lasting understanding. The study was unable to determine whether better knowledge actually led to better health outcomes, such as fewer bleeding events or blood clot recurrences, which remains an important question for future research.
Sarger T, Desmurs-Clavel H, Melin-Boucetta I, Dargaud Y, Catella J. (2026). Effect of a short questionnaire (7VTE-Quest) on venous thromboembolism to guide education during consultation.. Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000050491