PURPOSE:This study was conducted to develop and test the effects of venous thromboembolism prevention education for elderly patients with total knee arthroplasty.

METHODS:A non-equivalent control group posttest only non-synchronized design was used. The participants were 43 older adults (experimental group: 21, control group: 20) who had experienced total knee arthroplasty surgery at *university hospital located in *city. Venous thromboembolism prevention education consisted of a 20 minute intervention on the evening before the operation and a 5 minute intervention on the operation day including education and strategies for enhancing health belief. Data were collected from October 20, 2017 to March 10, 2018. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U test with SPSS/WIN 24.0.

RESULTS:The experimental group showed significantly higher levels of knowledge, self-reported preventive behaviors, and number of ankle movements compared to the control group.

CONCLUSION:The study findings indicate that venous thromboembolism prevention education can be recommended as an effective nursing intervention for preventing venous thromboembolism of elderly patients with total knee arthroplasty.