Chart Card: feasibility of a tool for improving emergency department care in sickle cell disease

Black Americans' willingness to participate in pediatric sickle cell clinical trials: A retrospective, systematic review

Black individuals are underrepresented in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Willingness to participate is a frequently cited explanation. However, the few studies that have investigated willingness to participate demonstrated no difference between Black individuals and other groups. We sought to measure willingness to participate by focusing on sickle cell disease (SCD), in which approximately 90% of affected individuals are Black. We conducted an analysis of 17 RCTs. A level of clarity was defined and correlated with each article's transparency in reporting patient enrollment data. Calculated measures of acceptance ranged from 32% to 93.5%. Calculated completion rates ranged from 58.8% to 100%. Weighted measures of acceptance and completion were 59.1% and 83.8%, respectively. Our study is limited by focusing solely on studies pertinent to SCD and only a minority of publications reviewed provided sufficient patient enrollment data. Yet, our results suggest that decreased willingness to participate does not account for underrepresentation of Black individuals.

Personalized medical information card for adults with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: An initiative to improve communication between patients and healthcare providers

BACKGROUND

Many individuals with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers struggle to provide accurate and complete information to healthcare providers.

METHOD

The present authors provided personal medical information cards (PMICs) containing contact and medical information to 52 Canadian adults with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a genetic condition associated with intellectual disability. The authors invited them and/or their caregivers to complete a user satisfaction survey concerning usage of the card.

RESULTS

Forty-eight (92%) patients or their caregivers completed the survey. Twenty-two (46%) respondents used the PMIC over a median of 8 months during encounters with doctors and other professionals, and a majority of these used it more than once. Users reported finding the PMIC "very helpful" (86%) or "helpful" (14%), providing necessary information, speeding up interactions with professionals and helping avoid repeat storytelling.

CONCLUSION

Providing a PMIC to individuals with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers could help improve patient safety and assist in advocacy.

Experiences of Pediatric Patients With Sickle Cell Disease in Rural Emergency Departments

BACKGROUND

The aims of this study were to describe guardian perceptions of the experiences of a sample of youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) in rural emergency departments (EDs) with a focus on overall patient satisfaction and characteristics of care.

PROCEDURE

Guardians of 139 children with SCD (0 to 17 y) seen at a rural pediatric SCD clinic completed a survey concerning their children's ED experiences in the past 6 months, including information about ED wait times, quality of communications and interactions with the ED health care providers, pain management, perceptions of speed of care, and overall satisfaction.

RESULTS

About 41% of guardians reported that their child visited the ED in the past 6 months. Guardians reported moderate satisfaction with ED care. About 25% of those who visited the ED indicated that health care providers did not spend enough time with them and their children did not receive speedy care. Shorter ED wait times and higher ratings of speed of care predicted higher satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Families of youth with SCD are experiencing longer wait times in rural EDs which contribute to dissatisfaction with care. Efforts are needed to develop strategies to reduce ED wait times and improve speed of care which may improve outcomes following ED care.

Opioid management and dependency among adult patients with sickle cell disease

While pain is one of the most debilitating symptoms of sickle cell disease, narcotics remain an effective although controversial widely practiced intervention. Vaso-occlusive crises are the most common cause for seeking pharmacological treatment. The influence of stigmatization and pseudo addiction in emergency departments and outpatient clinics was reviewed. We analyzed patterns of narcotic utilization in a sample of 63 adult patients with sickle cell disease to determine if their psychological functioning and reports of pain differed as a function of the primary narcotics they were taking for oral pain management. Fifty-one percent of patients reported treatment of Oxycodone, 35% OxyContin, 24% methadone and 11% morphine. Patients who were treated with Oxycodone reported greater sensory reactions to pain (p = 0.001), visual analog scale (VAS) (p = 0.02), and averaged weekly pain intensity ratings than patients who did not use this medication. There were no differences in pain or affective response in patients treated with OxyContin, methadone or morphine. We suggest there are clear differences between the reports of pain in patients with sickle cell disease taking short-acting narcotics for pain management as compared to those who are not, a pattern that does not distinguish patients who are managed with long-acting preparations. We discuss the relevance of addressing narcotic management in the context of the perception of health care providers and patients with sickle cell disease.