Emergency departments (ED) are inevitable for people living with sickle cell disease (SCD). Many clinicians in the ED, however, misunderstand the disease and perceive patients as drug seekers. This episode explores how education can help shift attitudes and how proper data and support can improve clinics. Shauna Whisenton describes an experience that is common for people living with the disease when they visit the ED, and shares how the ASH Research Collaborative is committed to engaging the community in research and clinical trials. Despite her own negative experiences with ED doctors, Dr. Titilope Fasipe recognizes that there are physicians who actually care about individuals with the disease and want to do better Drs. James Eckman, JJ Strouse, and Sophie Lanzkron describe the changes they have made in their hospitals to provide better care to people living with SCD who visit the ED. Learn more by reading through the resources in the list below.

• ASH Sickle Cell Disease Initiative - https://www.hematology.org/advocacy/sickle-cell-disease-initiative
• ASH SCD Guidelines for Management of Acute and Chronic Pain - https://www.hematology.org/education/clinicians/guidelines-and-quality-care/clinical-practice-guidelines/scd-guidelines-management-of-acute-and-chronic-pain
• Managing Sickle Cell Disease in the ED Point-of-Care Tool - https://www.acep.org/sickle-cell/
• ASH Research Collaborative - https://www.ashresearchcollaborative.org/s/
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sickle Cell Data Collection Program - https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hemoglobinopathies/scdc.html
• Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Patient Powered Registry - https://www.sicklecelldisease.org/sickle-cell-health-and-disease/getconnected/
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Sickle Cell Disease: Managing Acute Painful Episodes in Hospital (UK Guidance) - https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg143/chapter/Recommendations

Music: "Envision" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/