The global annual incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is estimated to be 0.75–2.69 per 1,000 population (1). Up to 60% of VTE events occur during or within three months after hospital admission: these are known as hospital-associated VTE and account for an estimated 10 million cases of VTE globally (2). Without preventive measures being used, hospital-associated VTE is the leading preventable cause of hospital death (2). The age-standardized pulmonary embolism (PE)-related mortality rate is similar in magnitude to respiratory infections and obstructive pulmonary disease. Although the impact of PE-related deaths is relatively high among young women (3), its global awareness by the public is low (4).