BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in hospitalized medical patients. Greater than 25% of all VTE is associated with hospitalization and 50–75% of these cases occur in medical inpatients. The use of pharmacological prophylaxis significantly reduces the incidence of thromboembolic events in high risk patients. Evidence scarce in relation to VTE occurrence and thromboprophylaxis utilization and associated factors in the study area.