How can the nurse assess for dvts?

Doppler Ultrasound: Duplex doppler ultrasound is the method of choice to assess for dvt. Physical exam is no better than 50% sensitive/specific for the diagnosis of acute dvt.

Needs imaging: Although for the diagnosis of DVT there is always the need of an imaging study such as a venous ultrasound a health care professional such as a nurse can identify a patient at high risk for DVT. A properly trained nurse can use a pretest probability scoring tool (Wells Score System) to aid in the diagnosis of DVT; however this score is mostly used by physicians.