Mikkelsen M, Faris NR, Lobo Cl, Athale U, Morreira D, Price C, et al. 2024. Existence and characteristics of global sickle cell educational content for health care professionals: A scoping review protocol. OSF Registries; https://osf.io/u4a9x.
Abstract
Sickle cell disease is a catastrophic genetic condition that is newly diagnosed in over half a million people across the globe each year. The disease presents numerous acute and chronic care complications and significantly reduces life expectancy, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In such settings, 50-90% of children do not live past the age of 5. Treating children with sickle cell disease is challenging, still, there are many effective options available to treat or ameliorate the symptoms of sickle cell disease. Access to appropriate treatment or symptom relief is mediated through health care providers, who may not have received training specific to the needs of people diagnosed with sickle cell disease relative to their practice context. To our knowledge, there has not been a systematic evaluation of the existing educational programs that exist globally. This scoping review will be conducted as part of a larger project to develop a comprehensive, adaptable global curriculum for healthcare professionals who provide care for people diagnosed with SCD, particularly in a pediatric setting.