Improving the Quality of Care for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects between 70-90,000 persons in the United States, mostly African Americans, and is associated with a severely shortened lifespan. It is the number one diagnosis for hospital readmissions, leading to a significant economic burden. The most common complication of SCD, leading to ED visits, is vaso- occlusive crisis (VOC). Providers report lack of awareness of recommendations for pain management and have been found to grossly overestimate the rate of opioid addiction amongst this patient population, contributing to poor attitudes and reluctance to administer pain medication. These misperceptions contribute to a delay in administration of initial pain medication to patients for the treatment of VOC. Therefore, further education of healthcare providers and implementation of evidence based recommendations for treatment of SCD are needed to improve the quality of ED care and prevent readmissions. In 2014, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) released recommendations for management of SCD, including treatment of VOC. While available online, it is unclear how many ED providers are aware of the updated recommendations. Dissemination is needed to make an impact on the quality of care provided to adults with SCD during ED visits. The proposed conference will target a multi-disciplinary team of ED providers. The conference aims to disseminate evidence based recommendations and a toolkit designed to improve the quality of emergency department care for persons with SCD, establish a collaborative network to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of care for persons with SCD in the ED, and measure dissemination of recommendations and implemented changes at attendees' home institutions. This conference will establish a network to facilitate quality improvement, building the infrastructure to coordinae efforts to improve the care of individuals with SCD in the ED setting.